Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing (ND)

First Advisor

Dr. Shonda Phelon

Abstract

Approximately 6 million children, ages 3 to 17 years, had a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) between the years of 2016 and 2019 (CDC, 2022). In Mississippi, 15.8% of the pediatric population have a diagnosis of ADHD and 82.3% of these patients are receiving either medication management or behavior therapy (CDC, 2022). Rushton et al. (2020) cite the importance of promoting positive relationships between teachers and students to improve long-term outcomes. Improving communication between teachers, parents, and advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) of pediatric patients between the ages of 6 years and 10 years who have a diagnosis of ADHD will help improve the management of their ADHD. Implementing a communication tool, specifically the NICHQ Vanderbilt Assessment Follow-up Teacher Informant Form, to help improve communication between teachers and APRNs assists in accomplishing this goal. The Lowndes County School District (LCSD) was contacted by the APRN and agreed to allow for a presentation to the teachers at each of the three elementary schools. This presentation summarized the importance of communication between the APRN and teachers to facilitate the proper management of patients with ADHD. The presentation was given at each LCSD elementary location at the beginning of the fall 2023 semester, and parents were given the NICHQ teacher forms in the clinic 5 to provide to teachers for communication with the advanced practice provider. At the end of the fall 2023 semester, an audit was performed on the electronic health record system to evaluate how many NICHQ Vanderbilt Assessment Follow-up Teacher Informant forms were returned. That number was then compared to the number of NICHQ Vanderbilt Assessment Follow-up Teacher Informant forms returned for the fall of 2022. There was a statistically significant increase in the number of NICHQ teacher forms returned from the fall of 2022 to the fall of 2023. As a result of this study, it is recommended that all primary care providers who manage pediatric patients with ADHD should regularly provide a communication tool, such as the NICHQ Vanderbilt Assessment Follow-up Teacher Informant Form to help promote communication between teachers and providers.

Download

Share

COinS