Parents perception of the school nurse's role in management of violence cases in schools

Abstract

Introduction. Violence in school as a phenomenon is a major challenge for health systems around the world. School nurses play a vital role in the school system, especially in maintaining a security environment in schools, treating and helping abused children. However, the full scope of their role has not been identified by parents. Aim of study. The aim of the evaluation was to explore parents’ perceptions of the role of the school nurse in management of violence cases in schools. Methods and materials. The data were collected by a questionnaire distributed through social networks. The study included 51 parents that have children in schools 76,5% in urban areas. Parents were invited to complete a questionnaire to assess the socio-demographic dates and their perceptions of school nurses' roles in particular in management of violence cases in schools. Results. In the 84,3 % cases in schools that their children attend there is a nurse, 7,8% mentioned that they „do not know”, and in 7,9% cases in the educational institution there is no nurse, due to different reasons. The parents mentioned in 58,8% that there are cases of violence in the school. Responsible for the safety of children in the school were identified teachers in 35,3% cases, the director in 21,6%, parents in 19,6%, police and/or school security in 11,8% and only in 7,5% cases was mentioned the nurse. The most important school nurses roles perceived by the parents were providing first aid and emergency care to children (74,5%), to monitoring the health of children (84,3%) and preventing and controlling diseases (60,8%). Although 66% of respondents mentioned that they would call the nurse in case of acts of violence in school to receive care, only 17,7% of interviewees considered that the school nurse has an important role in managing cases of violence in school. Conclusion. The results of this study indicate that parents recognize school nurse’s roles of providing first aid and medical treatments, communication with parents, and disease prevention as highly important. However, the role of the school nurse in management of violence case in school is poorly understood.