Peer-reviewed article
Statewide Implementation of Stock Inhaler Programming: Respiratory Distress De-Escalation, Implementation and Utilization Experiences.
Hardy P, Rizwan H, Gerald LB, Knitter A, Volerman A et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001The RESCUE-IL program provided stock asthma inhalers to 77% of Illinois schools in 2023-2024 to help children experiencing respiratory distress. School nurses who used the program in its first year were interviewed about their experiences. The program helped de-escalate asthma emergencies and improved access to treatment, but school staff identified barriers including lack of administrative support and insufficient training for non-health staff.
Key points
- Stock inhaler program reached 77% of Illinois schools in the first implementation year (2023-2024)
- 24 trained school nurses participated in qualitative interviews about their experiences using stock inhalers
- Program benefits included addressing asthma burden, reducing health equity gaps, and improving student outcomes
- Barriers to implementation included lack of administrative support and inadequate training for non-health staff
- Participants reported the program enhanced accessibility and ability to de-escalate respiratory distress events
Limitations
This qualitative study captures the perspectives of school nurses who voluntarily participated and had already used stock inhalers, which may not represent all school staff experiences or non-participating schools. The study does not provide quantitative data on clinical outcomes, frequency of inhaler use, or cost-effectiveness.
Abstract
Introduction Asthma is common in children, but many do not have access to a personal inhaler at school. The Resources for Every School Confronting Unexpected Emergencies- Illinois (RESCUE-IL) program provided stock undesignated asthma medication for respiratory distress to 77% of Illinois schools over the first implementation year (2023-2024). A qualitative study was conducted to examine utilization experiences with emphasis on program benefits and barriers in the inaugural year of RESCUE-IL. Methods Interviews were conducted from March to May 2024. Primary data was collected from trained Illinois school health staff who had administered a stock inhaler in the 2023-2024 school year. Semi-structured interviews were transcribed, de-identified, and qualitatively coded in Dedoose. Thematic data analysis using a hybrid inductive and deductive approach based on grounded theory was performed by trained researchers. Results Out of 37 nurses interested, 24 participated. The first theme surrounding stock inhaler benefits included the program's ability to address asthma burden, health equity concerns, and improve student-level outcomes. Barriers included administrative support and non-health staff training, among others. Stock inhaler utilization experiences referred to events leading up to the respiratory event, its management, student disposition and follow-up demonstrating the program's effectiveness. The final theme-RESCUE-IL implementation and support-pertained to logistics regarding program startup, training, supplies, and event documentation. Overall, participants felt the program enhanced accessibility and ability to de-escalate events, but there were concerns regarding protocols and reporting. Conclusions A statewide stock inhaler program allowed respiratory distress de-escalation in schools. These real-world experiences by nurses highlight the need for ongoing funding and expansion. Further research is needed to ensure comprehensive training is universally available.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Provision of stock undesignated asthma inhalers to schools through the RESCUE-IL program, with training for school health staff
- Population
- Illinois school children; data collected from 24 trained school nurses across schools that participated in RESCUE-IL
Key finding
Program reached 77% of Illinois schools in first implementation year