Medication management in North Carolina elementary schools: Are pharmacists involved?
OBJECTIVE
To determine the extent of pharmacist use in medication management, roles of school nurses, and use of other health care providers at elementary schools in North Carolina.


METHODS
Prospective survey of 153 (130 public and 23 private) elementary schools in four counties of North Carolina. A 21-question survey was e-mailed to the head administrator of each school (e.g., principal, headmaster) containing a Qualtrics survey link. Questions were designed to elicit information on school policies and procedures for medication management and use of health care providers, including pharmacists, in the schools. Responses were collected during a 2-month period.


RESULTS
Representatives from 29 schools participated in the survey (19% response rate). All 29 schools reported having a school policy regarding medication administration during school hours. Of those, 27 schools reported consulting with nurses on their policies. Only 1 of 27 respondents reported consulting with pharmacists on medication management policies. The majority of the respondents (93.1%) stated that administrative staff was responsible for medication administration at the schools.


CONCLUSIONS
Use of pharmacists in creating and reviewing policies for schools and actual medication management at schools was extremely low. The findings in this study reinforce the findings in previous studies that pharmacists are not being used and are not a major presence in elementary school health.
UNC Hospitals and Clinics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA. jstegall@unch.unc.edu
Jennifer
J
Stegall-Zanation
Kelly L
KL
Scolaro
D000288:Administrative Personnel; D003625:Data Collection; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D054539:Medication Therapy Management / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009657:North Carolina; D010593:Pharmaceutical Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057766:Policy; D024382:Professional Role; D012572:School Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012573:School Nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*