AAP urges school preparedness for medical emergencies

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently released updated recommendations urging schools to be prepared for emergency medical situations due to injury, chronic health condition complications, or unexpected major illness.

The policy statement, “Individual medical emergencies occurring at school” details the need to be prepared for medical, behavioral, and traumatic emergencies that either students or staff may experience. The academy recommends schools to prepare specifically for medical emergencies related to chronic conditions like seizures, diabetes, allergies/anaphylaxis, mental health, substance use, or asthma by creating or attending personnel training and emergency action plans.

Schools should also ideally develop these policies in conjunction with the medical community, including local emergency medical services personnel and community clinicians, according to the statement.

“Integration of EMS personnel into school emergency planning familiarizes them with the location and type of medical resources available at the school,” according to the AAP release announcing the updates. “This collaboration leads to the creation of policies and regulations that appropriately delegate authority, assign roles, distribute shared resources, and establish parameters for health care providers.

To read the updated policy statement, visit publications.aap.org.

Reference:

American Academy of Pediatrics urges schools to be prepared for medical emergencies. American Academy of Pediatrics. Published June 27, 2022. Accessed June 28, 2022. https://www.aap.org/en/news-room/news-releases/aap/2022/american-academy-of-pediatrics-urges-schools-to-be-prepared-for-medical-emergencies/