School nurses' perceived barriers to diabetes knowledge, communication and management in children with type 1 diabetes

Abstract

Diabetes is a common chronic illness among children, with 13,000 new cases diagnosed each year. School nurses are in a unique position to facilitate the improvement of health for students with diabetes, but they face many challenges in acquiring diabetes knowledge, communicating with parents and healthcare providers, and managing children and adolescents with diabetes. To learn more about these challenges and the potential role of technology in alleviating them, we administered a survey to school nurses in the state of Maryland. Results indicated that lack of access to knowledge and time constraints were the biggest challenges in providing support and care to children with diabetes. The majority of the school nurses agreed that use of an electronic medium will significantly enhance care and improve knowledge and communication between parents, school nurses and providers.