title: Negotiating Access to Health Information to Promote Students' Health.
abstract: Access to student health information, such as immunizations, screenings, and care plans for chronic conditions, is essential for school nurses to fulfill their role in promoting students' health. School nurses typically encounter barriers to accessing health records and spend many hours attempting to retrieve health information. As a result, nurses' time is poorly utilized and students may suffer adverse outcomes including delayed school entry. In response to this pressing public health issue, a school medical advisor and director of school nurses in a local health department successfully negotiated access for school nurses to three health record systems: a state immunization tracking system, an electronic lead surveillance program, and an electronic health record system. This negotiation process is presented within a framework of the Theory of Diffusion of Innovation and provides a strategy for other school nurses seeking access to student health information.
authors.affiliation: Central Oregon Pediatric Associates, Bend, OR, USA mradis@copakids.com.
authors.forename: Molly E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Radis
authors.affiliation: New Haven Public Schools System, New Haven, CT, USA New Haven Health Department, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Updegrove
authors.affiliation: Public Health Nursing, New Haven Health Department, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Somsel
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Specialty, Yale University School of Nursing, Orange, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Angela A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Crowley
mesh_terms: D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D057286:Electronic Health Records; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D017008:Negotiating; D012573:School Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D013334:Students
keywords: computers/technology; documentation; electronic health records; immunizations; policies/procedures; school nursing