Recommendations for the school health physical examination in Lebanon

Abstract

School health developed gradually over the years; starting with efforts to keep contagion out of schools to global programs of comprehensive services. One of its components, school medicine, covers screening examinations, record maintenance, emergency care, immunization monitoring and health counseling. This paper proposes the essential health activities to be performed during a screening school examination in Lebanon. The recommendations are based on a combination of international literature review of evidence and the existence of Lebanese epidemiological reports identifying specific problems. Vaccination record review, tuberculin testing, vision, hearing, dental and skin disorders screening procedures are proposed as essential activities of the school physical examination.