High School Students' Self-Reported Use of School Clinics and Nurses.
Christopher R Harper, Nicole Liddon, Richard Dunville and 1 others
PMID 27302959WHAT IT FOUND
Most high school students reported access to a school clinic or nurse, and many used it for sickness, injury, or checkups.
Few reported using it for sexual or reproductive health services.
Key findings
01Of 1,111 high school students analyzed, 89.32% reported access to a school clinic or nurse, and 65.56% of students with access reported using at least one service.
02Among students with access, sickness (50.16%), injury (27.07%), and checkup or sports physical (23.56%) were the most cited reasons for use.
03Only 6.87% of students with access reported using a school clinic or nurse for sexual/reproductive services, and 14.08% of students who reported sexual experience reported using such services.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The analysis included only students who reported currently being enrolled in high school, although the survey recruited adolescents and young adults aged 15-25 years. Students reported their own access and use, and the study used a very broad definition of ever having used a nurse or clinic. School nurses and school clinics were asked about together, so the results cannot separate services delivered by nurses from services delivered by clinics. The study did not fully investigate barriers to access or use, including costs, policies, attitudes, provider characteristics, local confidentiality practices, or prohibitions on sexual/reproductive services. Some students may have had access previously but currently lack access, and the study did not examine patterns of use over time.
Declared interests
The CDC partnered with GfK and contracted with GfK to complete the survey used in these analyses, with institutional review board approval.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that school nurses or clinics are effective for sexual/reproductive health or that lack of use means services are unavailable. The study reports students' self-reported access and use, and it combined school nurses and clinics into one item.