Standardizing Diabetes Care in Colorado Schools: Nearly Two Decades of Success.

Since 2005, a group of stakeholders in Colorado has collaborated to improve diabetes management in schools and childcare centers by standardizing care and embedding local expertise to support school personnel in this task. This effort has included the development of toolkits for parents, school nurses, and other health care providers; the establishment of a diabetes resource nurses program; and annually updated guidelines titled Standards of Care for Diabetes Management in the School Setting & Licensed Child Care Facilities. This collaboration has fundamentally changed how school nurses and staff in Colorado care for students with diabetes.

School Health: Pediatric Primary Care Curriculum.

Introduction: Pediatric residents encounter issues related to school health (SH) throughout their training, particularly in their continuity clinics, and often serve as liaisons between a patient's medical home and school environment. However, there is currently a paucity of formal education on SH for pediatric residents to prepare them for this role. Methods: We created a 3-hour interactive learning conference that was delivered to four groups of six to eight pediatric residents during their intern year by a multidisciplinary team. Our curriculum focused on understanding the differences between individualized educational plans (IEPs), individualized health plans (IHPs), and 504 plans; the IEP process; and communication with schools. Residents were given pre- and postdidactic surveys, completed reflective writings, and participated in feedback sessions. Results: Twenty-seven pediatric interns completed the curriculum; 85% and 74% had improved knowledge of IEP/504/IHP and SH personnel, respectively. Eighty-five percent reported feeling comfortable with family conversations about accommodations postcurriculum versus 0% precurriculum. The majority of interns found the curriculum to be valuable to their clinic performance. Discussion: Our curriculum offers a unique multidisciplinary approach to teaching and can be easily integrated into other residency programs, even with limited protected didactic time.