by Amanda Jinks, Meloney Blount, Alison Raley, and Cheryl Hart
The Problem
The unsuspecting common cold is a leading cause of doctor visits and of school and job absenteeism. The economic impact of the common cold is enormous. The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) estimated that, in 1996, 62 million cases; 23.6 per 100(NHIS96) National Health Interview Survey, of the common cold in the United States required medical attention or resulted in restricted activity. The incidence rate was about 1 in 4 or 22.79 percent. In 1996, colds caused 45 million days of restricted activity and 22 million days lost from school. (National Institutes of Health, 2001).
Social Diagnosis
People who are energetic, happy and relaxed are less likely to catch colds, while those who are depressed, nervous, or angry are more likely to complain about cold symptoms whether or not they get "bitten by the cold bug." (TB & Outbreaks Week, 2003) Colds are most prevalent among children and seem to be related to youngsters, and relative lack of resistance to infection, and to contacts with other children in daycare centers and schools. Children have about six to ten colds a year. Adults average about two to four colds a year. Women especially those aged 20 to 30 years, have more than men, possibly because of their close contact with children. (kidsource.com, 2000).
Epidemiological Diagnosis
Colds are defined as an illness caused by a viral infection located in the nose. Colds can also involve the sinuses, ears and bronchial tubes. (commoncold.org, 2003) This can lead to more severe diseases such as Acute Bacterial Sinusitis, Acute Bacterial Middle Ear Infection, Asthma Attacks, and Exacerbations of Chronic Bronchitis. (commoncold.org, 2003)
Cold Symptoms:
- Sneezing
- Runny nose
- Cough
- Hoarseness
- Headache
- Feverishness
- Chilliness
- Not feeling well in general
Behavioral Diagnosis:
The Common cold, which according to the American Lung Association is a minor infection of the nose, and throat caused by several different viruses, is highly contagious. The spread of a cold most often occurs when droplets of fluid containing the cold virus are inhaled or transferred by touch. (Jet, 2004)
How do colds spread: Cold viruses may be present in droplets that are expelled in coughs and sneezes. They readily transfer from the skin and hands of cold sufferer to the hands and fingers of another person during periods of brief contact. They can also readily transfer to the hands a result of touching contaminated objects and surfaces. Virus on the fingers is transferred into the nose and eye by finger-to-nose and finger-to-eye contact. Virus deposited in the eye promptly goes down the tear duct into the nose. Sometimes cold viruses which are expelled into the air in coughs and sneezes, may land in the nose or eye and cause infection. (charityguide.org, 2003)
Contagious overall?: Yes
Contagious by droplet?: Yes
Contagious from kissing?: Yes
Contagious from saliva?: Yes
Contagious from surfaces (or objects)?: Yes
(wrongdiagnosis.com, 2004)
To Prevent the spread of colds:
(childparenting.about.com, 2004)
- Don't let them share cups
- Teach them to use tissues
- Enforce hand washing
- Be vigilant about day-care hygiene
- Make sure they get enough sleep
- Discourage them from touching their eyes and nose
- Stock up on Vitamin C
Educational and Organizational Diagnosis
Children need to be aware of what causes the spread of the cold virus and how to prevent the spread of the virus in order to change the rate of absenteeism due to the common cold. Parents need to know common cold medications so that students feel well enough to come to school. Teachers should include a short lesson on how to prevent the spread of germs in their curriculum during the first six weeks of school, however at this time it is not addressed in any known curriculum. There should be posters and flyers on classroom walls reminding students how to take precautionary measures to avoid the spread of germs.
Administrative Diagnosis:
Teachers need to be provided with information on the cold and ways to prevent it, but at this time there is no information provided. They also need materials in the classroom to aid in the defense against the cold, such as, hand sanitizer and tissue. The schools need to make sure the bathrooms are stocked with anti-bacterial soap and paper towels in the bathrooms. They also need to have disinfectant spray on hand to spray surfaces that may have been contaminated.
Solutions:
Implementation Policy #1
In general each class room should be sanitized by doing the following: each classroom would have disinfectant spray, hand sanitizer, boxes of tissues to use as needed, each classroom would have hand sanitizer available to be used as needed, and the janitorial staff would clean door handles daily with disinfectant.
Process Evaluation
Get permission from the administration to buy the supplies and have them available for use by the janitorial staff. Get the administration to set up a schedule of duties for the janitorial staff to follow to perform this implementation. Get the janitorial staff's cooperation in performing the tasks of sanitizing and disinfecting the classrooms on a daily basis.
Impact Evaluation
Through out the year, the janitorial staff will disinfect and sanitize each classroom on a daily basis using the supplies made available by the administration.
Outcome Evaluation
The spread of germs and disease will decrease, therefore attendance will increase. The overall well-being and health of the faculty, staff, and student body will improve. There will be higher levels of parental and teacher satisfaction.
Implementation Policy #2
Have a school nurse come to the classroom and explain about the common cold and how it is caused by germs and the way in which it spreads. Show a video on the subject. The nurse will teach the students the proper way to wash their hands.
Process Evaluation
Get the administration's permission for a school nurse to visit each classroom. The school nurse will agree and set up a schedule with each classroom teacher in accordance with the administration.
Impact Evaluation
By the end of a semester, 100% of all classrooms will be visited by the school nurse.
Outcome Evaluation
The spread of germs and disease will decrease, therefore attendance will increase. The overall well-being and health of the faculty, staff, and student body will improve. There will be higher levels of parental and teacher satisfaction.
Implementation Policy #3
Get information on the common cold and the spread of germs from a pediatrician that can be passed out to the student to take home for their parents.
Process Evaluation
Send home the literature from the pediatrician and a cold quiz and have the parents fill out the cold quiz for the students to get extra points.
Impact Evaluation
From the cold quiz returned by the students, teachers' will assess the parents' knowledge of the common cold. The teachers will discuss the result of the cold quiz with the students.
Outcome Evaluation
The students will take the results of the quiz home and share it with their parents. This would promote what hopes to be an improved way of showing good hygiene by washing hands and using preventative measures against germs at home and school. The spread of germs and disease will decrease, therefore attendance will increase. The overall well-being and health of the faculty, staff, and student body will improve. There will be higher levels of parental and teacher satisfaction.
Implementation Policy #4
The school administration will include in the first six weeks learning curriculum a section for each grade on the ways to prevent the spread of germs.
Process Evaluation
Get School Board, Administrative, and teacher approval for addition to the curriculum a unit on measures to prevent the spread of germs. Materials to be taught in the curriculum would be obtained for distribution to the teachers.
Impact Evaluation
The materials obtained would be given to the teachers to be added to the curriculum and then taught in the classrooms.
Outcome Evaluation
There would be a noticeable increase in the awareness of the fact that the common cold is very contagious and the various ways that it spreads. Students would learn that they can take preventative measures by covering their mouth and nose when sneezing and coughing, to use the tissue, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant spray when they have a cold or cold-like symptoms. The spread of germs and disease will decrease, therefore attendance will increase, and absences shall drop by 10%. The overall well-being and health of the faculty, staff, and student body will improve. There will be higher levels of parental and teacher satisfaction.
Implementation Policy #5
Anti-bacterial soap will be placed in all bathrooms and the cafeteria lunch line.
Process Evaluation
Janitorial staff will make sure that the dispensers contain anti-bacterial soap in the bathrooms and cafeteria at all times. Teachers will remind students to use the soap dispensers before getting their lunch trays.
Impact Evaluation
The students will use the anti-bacterial soap dispensers provided throughout the school.
Outcome Evaluation
The spread of germs and disease will decrease, therefore attendance will increase. The overall well-being and health of the faculty, staff, and student body will improve. There will be higher levels of parental and teacher satisfaction.
Online Links
It's a SNAP to Have Clean Hands in Your School
The Common Cold in Patients with a History of Recurrent Sinusitis
Parenting of K-6 Children
Cold Air and Colds
The Common Cold Site
References
Charity Guide Organization (2004) Protect Others From Catching Colds Retrieved from
(http://charityguide.org/charity/fifteen/colds.htm)
Dispelling The Myths About 'The Common Cold.,' Hispanic Times Magazine; May/Jun98, Vol. 19 Issue 3, P12, 1p, Retrieved February 12, 2004 from http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=64219&db=aph, Academic Search Premier
Guarding Against Colds & Flu, Jet, 1/5/2004, Vol. 105 Issue 1, p24, 1p, 1c, Retrieved February 16, 2004 from http://search.enet.com/direct.asp?an=1177645&db=aph, MAS Ultra School Edition EBSCO
Gwaltney, J. & Hayden, F., M.D. (2003) Complications of Colds Retrieved February 20, 2004 from
(www.commoncold.org/cmplcatn.htm)
Gwaltney, J.& Hayden, F., M.D. (2003) Understanding Colds Retrieved February 20, 2004 from
(www.commoncold.org/undrstn2.htm)
Happy People May Have More Immunity to Common Cold, TB & Outbreaks Week, 8/5/2003, p11, 2P, Retrieved from http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=10534495&db=aph, Academic Search Premier
Health Matters National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, (2001, March) National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases Factsheet, Retrieved February 22, 2004 from (http:www.niaid.nih.gov/Factsheets/cold.htm)
Keeping Kids Free of the Common Cold, American Baby, (2004) Retrieved February 10, 2004 from
(www. childparenting.about.com/library/prm/aa051701a.htm)
NIAID Fact Sheet (2004) Retrieved February 6, 2004 from
(www.wrongdiagnosis.com/c/cold/contagious.htm
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, (2000) Retrieved February 3, 2004 from
(www.kidsource.com/health/the.common.cold.html)