Children Discharged With Feeding Tubes and Ostomies

Abstract

Theneed for feeding tubes or ostomies are common gastrointestinal surgical procedures for children. Once discharged, most of these children return to school. Because of this, the school should be considered as one of the children's homes upon discharge. Planning for medical care at school is a necessary part of the child's discharge planning. Active partnerships between parents, the medical care team, the school, including school nurses, and the education team can support families and promote safe and successful educational experiences for children (Corrigan et al., 2017). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, school nurses have threemain roles inmanaging children with chronic conditions: direct care, casemanagement, and advocating for students and families to access needed resources and supports (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). By providing direct care and coordinating services between the school, home, and medical providers, school nurses assist in children's success and achievement in the learning process (Toothaker & Cook, 2018). Missed school because of frequent hospitalizations is a challenge for children with medically complex conditions, and monitoring may help prevent or shorten time away from the educational setting. Monitoring children with medical devices by the school nurse allows the healthcare team to quickly identify problems