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Current Asthma Management Practices by Primary School Teaching Staff: A Systematic Review
Author(s) -
Caruana Maria,
West Lorna M.,
Cordina Maria
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of school health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.851
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1746-1561
pISSN - 0022-4391
DOI - 10.1111/josh.12992
Subject(s) - cinahl , legislation , asthma , medicine , exacerbation , cochrane library , asthma management , systematic review , medline , asthma exacerbations , family medicine , medical education , nursing , meta analysis , psychological intervention , political science , law , immunology
BACKGROUND The likelihood of children with asthma experiencing an exacerbation at school is significantly high when considering that they spend a substantial part of their day at school. This study, therefore, aimed to systematically review the literature to determine current asthma management practices by primary school teaching staff and any existing supporting legislation/policies/guidelines. METHODS Search terms were adapted to search literature across databases: CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Education Database—ProQuest, IPA, MEDLINE, SCI. Primary research studies, reviews, systematic reviews, and meta‐analyses in English about primary school teaching staff dated between 2007 and 2017 were included. Primary outcomes comprised teaching staff' practices regarding asthma management and supporting guidelines, policies, or legislation. RESULTS Analysis of the 13 papers eligible for full review identified that: teachers were unable to deal with an asthma exacerbation; they lacked knowledge regarding exercise‐induced asthma and that there was poor communication between schools and parents of children with asthma. The only documented relevant asthma legislation found pertained to New York schools. CONCLUSIONS Limited evidence regarding asthma management practices and inadequate asthma management knowledge amongst teaching staff highlight the need for supporting teaching staff with asthma policies and guidelines to minimize risks associated with inappropriate asthma management.