Provider Perceptions of a Mature School-Based Health Center's Effect on Adolescent Health and Wellness: A Case Study
Abstract
School-based health centers (SBHCs) have emerged as a model of care that enhances
utilization of health care services for U.S. adolescents. Staffed by interdisciplinary teams,
physicians play a largely supervisory role in these centers, where nurses and Nurse
Practitioners play a critical role. Yet the school-based health center model is unfamiliar to
many nurses. The passage of comprehensive national health care reform included dedicated
funding for school-based health centers, so this model is expected to expand in the near
future. The aims of this study were: (1) To explore how a mature SBHC functions to impact
the health and well-being of adolescents; and (2) To explore how adolescent health care
providers in a mature SBHC perceive the effect of its utilization on the health and well-being
of adolescent users. The research question was: How does a SBHC affect the health and
well-being of its adolescent users, as perceived by providers in a mature school health
center? The study used a single case study methodology and employed multiple methods of
data collection, including interviews with the providers, staff and historians of the center,
document review, descriptive epidemiologic data, and limited observation. An adaptation of
Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model of multiple influencers as the theoretical framework
guided interviews and data analysis. Findings included the themes of: easy access, providers
as connectors, and care of the whole adolescent. This SBHC was able to construct a robust
nexus of care that fit the needs of adolescent users, creating a complex network of internal
and external partnerships with the school and local community.
Table of Contents
Introduction -- Review of literature -- Methodology -- Findings -- Appendix A.Letter of support -- Appendix B. Email invitations -- Appendix C. Demographic survey forms -- Appendix D. Email research protocol -- Appendix E. Consent form -- Appendix F. Sample interview guides
Degree
Ph.D.