The Needs of Primary School Children with Chronic Disease: Parents’ and Teachers’ Perceptions

Objective: The study was conducted in Türkiye to determine the needs of primary school children with chronic diseases as reported by their parents and teachers. Methods: This is a descriptive study. The study was conducted in 10 schools in Ankara between 02.05.2018-06.06.2018. The study sample consisted of 69 parents and 69 teachers of children with chronic diseases. The Parent and Child Descriptive Information Form, Teacher Descriptive Information Form and Determining the Needs of the Primary School Children with Chronic Disease Form were used to collect data. Results: Children had been treated for an average of 4.63 ± 2.84 years with a diagnosis of chronic disease. 50.7% of parents and 75.4% of teachers stated that they did not feel sufficient to manage the child's chronic disease at school. Parents stated that all children who monitored blood glucose at school needed help with monitoring, and 71.4% of teachers stated that they did not have information about the blood glucose monitoring needs of children. While 17.4% of the teachers stated that children had problems with their teachers, the rate of parents who expressed this problem was 7.2%. Conclusions: In conclusion, differences exist between parents and teachers when identifying the needs of children with chronic diseases in a school environment. Collaboration between parents and teachers is believed to help address children's needs at school.