Paper
Saturday, 22 July 2006
This presentation is part of : Health Policy Issues
Advocating for Policies Regarding Medication Administration Training in Early Care and Education Programs
Angela Crowley, PhD, APRN, BC, PNP, School of Nursing, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA, Rhonda T. Heschel, MS, MSN, CPNP, Doctors Medical Group of Colorado Springs, PC, Doctors Medical Group of Colorado Springs, PC, Colorado Springs, CO, USA, and Sally S. Cohen, PhD, RN, Center for Health Policy and Ethics, Yale University School of Nursing, New Haven, CT, USA.
Learning Objective #1: discuss how nursing delegation can be a barrier to medication administration training in early care and education
Learning Objective #2: explain how nurses can advocate for policies that promote medication administration training in early care and education settings.
Sixty-one percent of all children under the age of six, an estimated 12 million children, are in some form of non-parental care. It is estimated that one in five households have a child with special health care needs, many of whom require medication administration in early care and education (ECE) settings (e.g., child care, preschool, Head Start)  Thus, safe medication administration in ECE programs is a critical child health issue. However, despite the Americans with Disabilities Act which supports accommodation for children with special health care needs, many ECE providers are reluctant to administer medications for various reasons, e.g. liability, cost, and unavailability of training. Consequently, children may not be able to receive required medications for chronic illnesses and life threatening conditions.  Many nurses and advanced practice nurses are unable to provide training to ECE providers because of state nurse practice acts that define medication administration as the exclusive function of the registered nurse or because they interpret training of ECE providers as delegation to unlicensed personnel. This case study traces the events that led to medication administration training of ECE providers in the State of Connecticut including key informant interviews and examination of public documents, specifically, statutes and regulations, and a response from the Connecticut State Board of Examiners of Nurses (SBEN). Furthermore, we will discuss how testimony presented to the CT SBEN led to the definition of the act of medication administration training for ECE providers as a professional nursing activity, thus reducing a significant barrier to training. This case study serves as an exemplar for nurses interested in addressing this policy issue in their states.

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See more of The 17th International Nursing Research Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice (19-22 July 2006)