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Medicine and Health Sciences Commons

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Nursing

Ann Marie McCarthy

Selected Works

School Nursing/organization & administration

Articles 1 - 4 of 4

Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Changes In Medications Administered In Schools, Ann Mccarthy, M. Kelly, S. Johnson, J. Roman, M. Zimmerman Oct 2011

Changes In Medications Administered In Schools, Ann Mccarthy, M. Kelly, S. Johnson, J. Roman, M. Zimmerman

Ann Marie McCarthy

The purpose of this descriptive, cross-sectional study was to determine if there have been changes in the type and number of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) medications administered in schools since the introduction of long-acting stimulants. A survey was sent to 1,000 school nurses randomly selected from the National Association of School Nurses membership, with 339 returned (34%). Between 2000 and 2003 the proportion of students receiving any prescription medication (2.9/100 vs. 1.0/100), methylphenidate (1.2 vs. 0.2), or amphetamine/dextroamphetamine (0.3/100 vs. 0.1/100) was significantly reduced ( p < .0001). High school students took fewer prescription ( p < .0001) and AD/HD medications ( p < .0001), but more nonprescription medications than other students. A total of 163 different prescription medications and 28 nonprescription medications were administered during the typical school day. This study suggests that the use of long-acting stimulants has significantly reduced the number of prescription medications administered in schools. This reduction has been accompanied by a dramatic increase in the range of medications administered, making the medication administration process in schools more complex, not less.


Family Perceptions Of Medication Administration At School: Errors, Risk Factors, And Consequences, D. Clay, K. Farris, Ann Mccarthy, M. Kelly, R. Howarth Oct 2011

Family Perceptions Of Medication Administration At School: Errors, Risk Factors, And Consequences, D. Clay, K. Farris, Ann Mccarthy, M. Kelly, R. Howarth

Ann Marie McCarthy

Medications are administered every day in schools across the country. Researchers and clinicians have studied school nurses' and educators' experiences with medication administration, but not the experiences of children or their parents. This study examined medication administration from the child and parent perspectives to (a) determine problems children experience with medicines at school, (b) clarify risk factors for medication errors, and (c) examine the perceived impact of medication errors on school performance and social relationships. Participants included children ages 8 to 18 years (n=157) being treated at a large Midwestern Children's Hospital in diabetes, asthma, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder …


A Healthy Lifestyle Program: Promoting Child Health In Schools, A. Wehling Weepie, Ann Mccarthy Oct 2011

A Healthy Lifestyle Program: Promoting Child Health In Schools, A. Wehling Weepie, Ann Mccarthy

Ann Marie McCarthy

The problem of overweight children is an increasing public health concern in the United States. Many children today consume diets that are high in fat, lack regular physical activity, and receive minimal amounts of nutrition education at school. School-based education about nutrition and healthy lifestyles provides an opportunity for intervention with all children. A program for 4th- and 5th-grade students was designed to increase the student's knowledge about nutrition and healthy lifestyles. After implementation of the program, there was a significant increase in student knowledge of nutrition and healthy lifestyles as determined by a pretest and posttest evaluation. The results …


Medication Administration Practices Of School Nurses, Ann Mccarthy, M. Kelly, D. Reed Oct 2011

Medication Administration Practices Of School Nurses, Ann Mccarthy, M. Kelly, D. Reed

Ann Marie McCarthy

This study assessed the medication administration practices of school nurses. From a random sample of 1,000 members of the National Association of School Nurses, 649 (64.9%) completed the survey developed for the study. These school nurses report that during a typical day, 5.6% of children receive medication in school, with 3.3% receiving medications for ADHD. Almost all the school nurses follow written guidelines for administering medication. Potential problems were identified in documenting side effects of medications, storage of medications, student self-administration practices, and appropriate authorization of nonprescription drug use. Most nurses (75.6%) delegate medication administration to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP), …