Compliance to the Integrated School Health Policy: Intersectoral and multisectoral collaboration.
Richard M Rasesemola, Gert P Matshoge, Tendani S Ramukumba
PMID 30843403WHAT IT FOUND
Schools in the City of Tshwane largely failed to collaborate with key health stakeholders.
Most reported no integration of school nurses, mental health services, or parent participation. This gap prevents the Integrated School Health Policy from delivering promised assessments and support to learners.
Key findings
01Sixty-five percent of surveyed schools did not collaborate with or integrate school health nurses into their services.
02Eighty-six percent of schools did not integrate mental health or social development services into school health services.
03Seventy percent of schools showed non-compliance regarding the involvement of parents or families in school health services.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The response rate was very low at 36.87%, meaning the results may not represent all schools in the City of Tshwane. The study relied on self-reported data from principals, which may be subject to bias. The questionnaire did not include quintile classification data, preventing analysis of whether compliance differed between poorer and wealthier schools. The study focused on one element of the ISHP (collaboration), so it does not assess clinical service delivery quality.
Declared interests
No specific conflicts of interest or funding sources were declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these percentages as a measure of clinical quality or patient outcomes. The study only reports whether principals said collaboration structures existed. It does not show how effective those collaborations were, nor does it account for the low response rate which may skew the results toward schools with more time or resources to respond.