Record Health Data Using Your SIS

#Data Read time:
It’s safe to say we’re recording more health data than ever in K12 schools.  

Whether it’s vaccination records or weekly testing, these records are particularly important, sensitive, and can grow in number quickly. Pen and paper just isn’t going to cut it. So what can districts use to keep these records safe, secure, and handy for analysis? Look no further than your student information system. 

 

Health procedures 

Chances are your office staff or school nurse is familiar with tracking medication doses for students using an SIS. But what about health procedures that aren’t as quick as listing a dosage, time, and medication type? 

For testing records, see if your SIS offers a record type for health procedures as opposed to medication. At the district level, create a procedure code for testing and one for vaccination. Then any individual records created will be housed in the same record set for later analysis.  

Schedule testing procedures as needed. If a health procedure is scheduled, the student’s course schedule should also include it. At the same time, the staff completing the health procedure should have access to a daily schedule of their appointments. 

Vaccine procedures may be handled a little differently as a one-time event. Vaccine records can also be added to an SIS as a separate record (think how standard school-entry vaccine records are handled). Either way, all the records will be securely housed.  

 

Symptoms and contact tracing 

Some in-person schools have implemented symptom surveys, not unlike the screening at most healthcare facilities. Before entering the school for the day, students or their parents fill out a survey asking about common symptoms and whether the student has had contact with someone who has been ill. If your surveys are all on paper, a better strategy awaits. 

An SIS capable of housing and deploying these surveys to parents and students can save time and paper. Records are housed in the SIS for later contact tracing should illness spread. 

See an example of how this works.

  

Data trends 

One of the best parts of housing all records in the same location is the ability to spot trends before they get out of hand. Records can be stored based on location, giving administrators an eagle-eyed view of even the largest district. Because records are stored digitally, it’s also possible to mine specific data to see which schools and students are specifically in need of the most support, catch-up, or virtual options. 

 

HIPAA and FERPA 

Finally, the key to keeping student records is security and data privacy. Your SIS partner must be familiar with both student-specific and health-specific privacy requirements. FERPA protects student information and limits who has access to what information about students. HIPAA protects health information and limits healthcare providers’ ability to share private information. A strong culture of data privacy helps everyone in the district. 

 
It’s always nice to find an existing solution within reach to a problem that seems to grow less manageable over time. Rest assured your recordkeeping solution can help students and staff feel a little safer even as they work through uncertainty. 

 

Follow-up resource: Your SIS is the cornerstone of learning

Have you discovered the many resources available in one solution?

 
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