School health nursing at Msunduzi Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal: teachers' perspective

Abstract

The Integrated School Health Policy (ISHP) is designed to promote the health of students; identify and prevent health problems and injuries, and ensure care for students. School health nurses have an important role in ensuring students (learners) optimal development. They bridge the gap between the school and health care facilities by screening students and referring them according to health needs. Most children spend up to thirteen of their formative years, from early childhood to adolescence, in a classroom environment. This provides an ideal opportunity for health education and interventions to address health and socioeconomic factors which affect children in South Africa The purpose of the study was to describe perspectives of schoolteachers on the current ISPH in schools in Msunduzi Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal province. The researcher selected a quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive research design for the study. The participants were 147 randomly selected teachers from selected primary schools and data was collected, using a self-administered structured questionnaire anchored on a 5-point Likert scale. A statistician analysed the data using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 14, and presented the findings in tables and diagrams. Descriptive statistics summarised data and inferential statistics described the participants’ perspectives on the current school health services. The study found that the participants acknowledged the importance and benefits of school health nursing services in schools but inadequate resources and lack of intersectoral collaboration between the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Basic Education (DOBE) and Department of Social Development (DOSD) hampered effective implementation of the ISHP. The study makes recommendations for policy, school health services, and further research.