The role of school nurses in delivering accessible health services for primary and secondary school students in Hong Kong

Aims. To explore and describe the distinctive role of nurses in delivering school health services for primary and secondary school students in Hong Kong. Background. The practical responsibility of nurses in delivering school health services has not been established. There is no literature on this topic and, in particular, nothing has been written from the perspective of the practitioner in communities in Hong Kong. Design. A qualitative design using semi-structured interviews was employed. Methods. Thirteen school nurses were recruited and interviewed in 2006. The narratives were analysed using content analysis steps to identify categories. Results. Seven categories were formulated. School nurses described their roles as providers, counsellors, leaders, promoters, collaborators, referrers and administrators and housekeepers. The school nurses also reported that they needed to maintain a diverse range of skills and knowledge, such as effective communication skills and clinical updated knowledge, to cope with the demands and the diversity of their roles and to support the health and educational needs of the students and their local communities. Conclusion. The future development of the 'one school, one nurse' policy envisaged by the current government for ordinary schools in Hong Kong will not occur unless the role of school nurses is clearly delineated and valued by society as reducing school children's and adolescents' risk-taking behaviours and promoting the health and well-being of school children and adolescents. Relevance to clinical practice. The findings provide relevant information for school nurse leaders and school nurse policy makers to understand how school nurses are practicing and promoting child and adolescent health services, which can inform regional and national policy and practice.