Less than half of U.S. schools address pandemic preparedness in their school plan, and only 40% have updated their school plan since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, according to a study.
Researchers from Saint Louis University collected and analyzed survey responses from approximately 2,000 school nurses serving primarily elementary, middle and high schools in 26 states to ascertain whether schools were prepared for another pandemic, particularly focusing on infectious disease disasters.
School preparedness for all types of disasters, including biological events, is mandated by the U.S. Department of Education, the researchers noted in background information for the study, which appears in the September issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.
The researchers found that less than a third of schools (29.7%) stockpile any personal protective equipment, and nearly a quarter (22.9%) have no staff members trained on the school’s disaster plan. A third (33.8%) of schools reported training students on infection prevention less than once per year. Only 1.5% reported stockpiling medication in anticipation of another pandemic.
On a positive note, although only 2.2% of schools require school nurses to receive the annual influenza vaccine, the majority (73.7%) of nurses reported having been vaccinated for the 2010-11 season.
"Findings from this study suggest that most schools are even less prepared for an infectious disease disaster, such as a pandemic, compared to a natural disaster or other type of event," Terri Rebmann, RN, PhD, CIC, the study’s lead author and associate professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Saint Louis University School of Public Health, said in a news release.
"Despite the recent H1N1 pandemic that disproportionately affected school-age children, many schools do not have plans to adequately address a future biological event."
The researchers concluded that U.S. schools must continue to address gaps in infectious disease emergency planning, including developing better plans, coordinating with local and regional disaster-response agency plans and testing plans through disaster drills and exercises.
Whenever possible, the researchers said, school nurses should be involved in these planning efforts because healthcare professionals can best inform school administrators about unique aspects of pandemic preparation that need to be included in school disaster plans.
The American Journal of Infection Control is the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
Researchers from Saint Louis University collected and analyzed survey responses from approximately 2,000 school nurses serving primarily elementary, middle and high schools in 26 states to ascertain whether schools were prepared for another pandemic, particularly focusing on infectious disease disasters.
School preparedness for all types of disasters, including biological events, is mandated by the U.S. Department of Education, the researchers noted in background information for the study, which appears in the September issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.
The researchers found that less than a third of schools (29.7%) stockpile any personal protective equipment, and nearly a quarter (22.9%) have no staff members trained on the school’s disaster plan. A third (33.8%) of schools reported training students on infection prevention less than once per year. Only 1.5% reported stockpiling medication in anticipation of another pandemic.
On a positive note, although only 2.2% of schools require school nurses to receive the annual influenza vaccine, the majority (73.7%) of nurses reported having been vaccinated for the 2010-11 season.
"Findings from this study suggest that most schools are even less prepared for an infectious disease disaster, such as a pandemic, compared to a natural disaster or other type of event," Terri Rebmann, RN, PhD, CIC, the study’s lead author and associate professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Saint Louis University School of Public Health, said in a news release.
"Despite the recent H1N1 pandemic that disproportionately affected school-age children, many schools do not have plans to adequately address a future biological event."
The researchers concluded that U.S. schools must continue to address gaps in infectious disease emergency planning, including developing better plans, coordinating with local and regional disaster-response agency plans and testing plans through disaster drills and exercises.
Whenever possible, the researchers said, school nurses should be involved in these planning efforts because healthcare professionals can best inform school administrators about unique aspects of pandemic preparation that need to be included in school disaster plans.
The American Journal of Infection Control is the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
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