Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic suddenly appeared two years ago and changed every aspect of human life, including medical care. The influence of coronavirus on the human body varies from asymptomatic to lingering and complex recovery. The disease causes complications for both young people and adults. That is why tracing patterns of COVID-19 influence on different people is still challenging. However, the medical field continues to develop and investigate this virus that has paused many areas of people’s lives for a long time all over the globe.
Student
The student’s name is Michael, and he is a twelve-year-old African American boy in the seventh grade. The school district he studies at is Chicago Public Schools. He had suffered from coronavirus for three weeks and faced complications in his recovery for four months. African Americans comprise thirty-six percent of students in the area. The rest of the population contains Hispanic, white, Asian, and other races and ethnic groups children (Chicago Public Schools, 2021). As a result, due to the diversity of students and their health conditions, the school nurse has to oversee and approve different practical components for students’ well-being and health.
Principles of Care Coordination
The Framework for Twenty-first Century School Nursing Practice consists of standards of practice, care coordination, leadership, quality improvement, and public health. Care coordination is an important way of developing patients’ health and psychological problems they can face as individuals or groups of people. It is not only about chronic diseases and their treatment or individual care, but also the way to prevent various health issues students usually deal with. However, the National Association of School Nurses states that “chronic disease management involves SHS that emphasizes efficient tertiary prevention, student disease self-management, and helping students and families access needed resources” (Gray et al., 2020, p. 226). One of the most vital things in care coordination is collaborative communication.
This skill provides a healthy environment for students in their homes, schools, and every other place. Chronic health needs to be cared for directly by medical workers in schools. Other fundamental principles of care coordination are student self-improvement, motivational counseling, direct care, and student-centered care. The nurse’s role in students’ medical care cannot be overestimated. In connection with a child himself, his parents or guardians, teachers, and medical care providers, nurses have the essential role of consolidating every participant in order to maintain health. It is also crucial that “school nurses gain expertise in communication, collaboration, and nursing practice knowledge and skills” (Gray et al., 2020, p. 4). They are connecting links that create an environment for students’ good health.
Long COVID – Student with Asthma
In some cases, coronavirus can cause post-COVID conditions, which is the situation that twelve-year-old Michael faced. These circumstances can last any amount of time, from weeks to months and years. Unfortunately, after dealing with COVID-19, he was diagnosed with a chronic disease called bronchial asthma. Often, long COVID appears when diseased people face severe coronavirus illness. Still, even patients without any symptoms or the ones with mild issues can suffer from unexpected effects. In general, symptoms include respiratory and heart problems like cough, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and pain in the chest area. Problems with sleep, frequent headaches, changes in smell and taste, undefinable tiredness, fever, and muscle pain are common symptoms of long COVID. About forty percent of coronavirus hospitalized patients have symptoms similar to asthma (Esmaeilzadeh et al., 2022, p. 1). At the same time, it is proven that “family history of asthma, previous history of asthma, and allergic rhinitis are risk factors for asthma-like after COVID-19 hospitalization” (Esmaeilzadeh et al., 2022, p. 1). In fact, people associated with asthma suffer from a more severe form of COVID-19 (Esmaeilzadeh et al., 2022, p. 1).
Long Covid/Asthma Care& Treatment
Michael’s parents were not asthmatics, but today’s ecology and contaminated air caused his predisposition to bronchial asthma. The goal of asthma care is to create an environment where the patient can live with lungs functioning properly, fewer attacks, and minimal restrictions in general (Asthma Initiative of Michigan, 2017). The preferred form of treatment is the inhalation of asthma medicines. Short-term medications should be used in case of seizures, their duration is three to four hours, and long-term medications for preventing Michael from asthma attacks usually last up to twelve hours. Cortisone inhalation is carried out twice a day, in the morning and the evening. Cortisone taken this way does not lead to the unwanted side effects we associate with cortisone pills. Luckily, Michael’s asthma is not severe, and that means he will not need medications except leukotriene antagonists that are produced only in this form. An inhaler with a mixture of anti-seizure and prophylactic medicines is vital. Daytime sleep and adding more cellulose products to his diet are helpful for other issues Michael has complained about, including unexpected tiredness, headaches, sleep, and heart problems.
These treatments, with the addition of normalizing his sleep schedule, should bring noticeable results.
Nursing Process used in Development of Nursing Diagnosis and Outcomes (one outcome each)
Michael was diagnosed with (nursing diagnosis) ineffective airway clearance associated with chronic inflammation causing bronchoconstriction, excessive mucus production, trouble sleeping, constant tiredness, and headaches. The goals will be to provide an emergency plan and develop it with the student’s healthcare provider and parents, and asthma medication accessible at school. It is also recommended for Michael to get tested for vitamins, ferritin, and iron to be able to see the lack and choose a complex of vitamins to buy. It is important to remember that a disease like asthma cannot be cured, but it is possible to gain control over it and slow its development. That is why the expectations are that (outcome)Michael will use medications with the proper technique. (outcome)Another expected outcome is a student’s responsible attitude regarding sleep schedule and taking vitamins.
The Individual Health Plan can be supplemented by (Intervention)weekly fifteen minutes nurse checkups during the first two months and monthly checkups for the rest of the academic year to react if Michael feels worse. Other symptoms like headaches and sleep problems should go away with time if the patient is constant in treatment. One of the options for medication can be Pfizer’s Paxlovid.
Multidisciplinary Team
A multidisciplinary team for long COVID is essential for effective treatment. The team should include such professionals as pulmonologists, pediatricians, and cardiologists. Mark’s family is also vital to keep his health well-conditioned and stable, mainly because he’s twelve years old and will be a teenager soon. The proper parental attitude to Mark’s health can prevent him from many dangerous threats. However, the central figure in this system is Mark himself. Nothing will work as it should if he is not serious about it.
HIPAA and FERPA
Most of the time, the HIPAA Privacy Rule in secondary schools is not applicable or is covered but keeps only education records under FERPA. The HIPAA law allows US workers to maintain their health insurance in case of a job change or loss. At the same time, the FERPA law protects the privacy of student education records, including personal information and directory information. The problem is that the HIPAA-covered entities refuse to communicate directly with school nurses, which brings even more issues. Many reports show children with chronic diseases forgetting their medication and parents missing their work to drive the treatments to school.
Emergency action plan (EAP)
His teachers and classmates will be informed about critical signs like coughing, shortness of breath, sleepiness, difficulties getting up, chest pain and tightness, and how to act in these situations. The student’s inhaler should be located in an easily accessible place, like a pocket in his pants. On an emergency occasion, if Michael could not get his inhaler, the closest person needs to take it and shake it, remove the protective cap, turn it upside down and give it to him. However, if there is a critical situation, teachers and students of Michael can always call 911. It must be understood that “even people with mild asthma are at risk for severe and even fatal attacks” (Asthma Initiative of Michigan, 2017). That is why Michael needs to be ready for everything to be able to control the situation.
Medicine for an emergency action plan will be bought to be able to react in case of twelve-year-old Michael from seventh grade could not help himself during an asthma attack.
Conclusion
To conclude, coronavirus disease can be dangerous as it comes out differently for people of various ages, gender, and ethnic belonging. Humanity needs to continue vaccinating and follow quarantine rules if necessary to liquidate this virus. COVID-19 is still a comparatively young and unexplored disease, and much research is to be done in the nearest future. However, there are basic restrictions that anyone in the world can keep. This way, humanity will finally forget about the issues coronavirus had brought to everyone’s lives.
References
Asthma Initiative of Michigan. (2017). Risk Factors and Asthma Death. Get Asthma Help. Web.
Chicago Public Schools. (2021). Racial/ethnic report [Data set]. Web.
Gray, L., Klein, N., Meuret, C., Nelson, L. & Stahlnecker, L. (2020). Framework for 21st-century school nursing practice: Clarifications and updated definitions. NASN school nurse, 35(4), 225–233. Web.
Esmaeilzadeh, H., Dashti, A. S., Mortazavi, N., Fatemian, H. & Vali, M. (2022). Persistent cough and asthma-like symptoms post COVID-19 hospitalization in children. BMC Infect Dis,22(244), 1-8. Web.