One in five local children has asthma and, thanks to local charity Open Airways, these children now have a nurse advocate.

Jennifer Wilson, an asthma sufferer herself, is the first schools asthma nurse thanks to a joint initiative between Open Airways and the Ministry of Health.

In her first year, nurse Jen, as the children call her, has started a schools asthma register. It lists 1,269 children in the system of 6,600 as having the disease. She spoke with Body & Soul about her first year on the job.

How has the asthma programme been received in the schools?

"The asthma programme has been very well received in the schools, considering that they have a very busy curriculum. Some schools have embraced it more than others depending on their perception of the importance of the problem. I have visited most schools on the Island, some more than others depending on their needs and the challenges I face there. In total I have visited 31 schools, public and private, and four preschools. I have only visited one home school because there was a child referred to me for having frequent asthma symptoms. For her, it was a case of not taking her prevention medication as prescribed and not taking it properly."

How many times do you visit each school?

"At each school, I identify the children with asthma, develop an asthma registry to inform the teachers and staff who they are, educate the teachers and children through school assemblies and educate the parents through PTA meetings. I also distribute equipment donated by Open Airways such as hypoallergenic pillows and spacer devices. I provide asthma education to specific children and their families that are having frequent symptoms at school and/or missing lots of time from school due to asthma and refer to their physicians as necessary. So, the amount of times I visit each school depends on what stage I am at in the process, in that particular school, the schools needs and whether the school has embraced the programme."

The asthma school nurse programme has been in operation for a year now – does that mean the programme can soon end because all teachers will have been educated about asthma?

"Although it has been a year, and most of the teachers have been educated, they continually need to be updated on who the children in their class are with asthma and any new developments. Each year there are new staff, students and their families that need to be educated. Also, a child that has well-controlled asthma at one point can become uncontrolled at another time and may need special attention."

What has been the most enjoyable part of the job?

"The most enjoyable part of the job is working with the children. They get so excited to see me on the road."

What has been the most challenging part of the job?

"The most challenging part of the job is time. Not enough of it in a day. Also, another challenge is when parents do not inform the school that their child has asthma. In some schools this is more of a problem than others. This basic information is so important for the schools to have. Without it, they cannot adequately help your child in the case of an emergency and I cannot implement the programme."

How has the programme changed since it began?

"Since the programme began, some schools that previously did not collect medical information yearly are doing so. Asthma can develop at any age, so only collecting the information in primary one is not enough to have an adequate registry. Also, some children who had symptoms at the age of four and five may no longer have symptoms at the age of 11.

What are the plans for next year? Any expansion of your service? Perhaps more asthma nurses?

"Next year I hope to spend more time at the senior schools because at that age children can be non-compliant. I also would like to do more PTA meetings for parents/guardians. I have only just started in these areas. At the moment the programme is still a pilot project resulting from a partnership between Open Airways and the Department of Health.

"The programme will be assessed in another year. At this point there has been no talk of any additional asthma nurses; however, many of the school nurses have had special training in asthma."

Is there anything you need to make the programme more effective? "

"This first year has been spent developing the programme and figuring out what works and what doesn't. To make the programme more effective all persons involved must play an active role. Parents should inform the school that the child has asthma, what triggers their asthma and what medications the child is on.

"I send home a special form with each child to collect this information, however, it is not always returned. Teachers should be aware of the children in their class with asthma. The school should be an asthma-friendly environment which reduces exposure to triggers as much as possible. It is important that parents, teachers, physicians and school nurses communicate to resolve problems at school relating to asthma. No child should have to suffer at school with asthma. Asthma is treatable. Remember: The Goal is Control."