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Past Studies

Pediatric Orthopaedic Injuries: The Impact of Treatment on School Attendance (School Attendance II)

• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusion

Introduction:

School plays a pivotal role in the intellectual, social, and emotional development of young children, and the negative effect of chronic illness, such as asthma and cancer, on school attendance is a well recognized problem. Studies of children with chronic diseases illustrate that the detrimental combination of poverty and school absence is made worse by illness. It is crucial to determine the impact of socioeconomic background in order to understand the actual effect of orthopaedic injuries on school attendance. The purpose of our study is to identify specific factors which affect a child's ability to attend school after an acute orthopaedic injury. We also aim to determine the official school attendance policy for injured children in New York City.

Methods:

One hundred and sixty-four school-aged patients receiving treatment for a fracture at the Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics were interviewed along with their parents. Demographic information and injury information were obtained from the interview. Children were also asked whether they were able to attend school despite their injuries. Follow-up telephone interviews were conducted with those parents and children who were unable to return to school. The parents were asked both the total number of absences and whether the child received home instruction. A survey regarding official school attendance policy was mailed to the principals of all the schools attended by the children in our study.

Results:

Only fifty-three percent of the children were able return to school immediately after their injuries, while 47% were not. Nearly two-thirds of absentees attributed their nonattendance to their school's attendance policy. Only half of the children received home instruction during their absence. Our statistical analysis demonstrated that both the type of school and the use of crutches were very big risk factors for school absence. Also, the average household income and the location of the household affected the child's school attendance. Of the 99 schools only 37 responded to our survey regarding official school attendance policy. There was a significant difference from school to school in policies with injured children and home instruction.

Conclusion:

This study indicates that pediatric orthopaedic injuries and their treatment impact the ability of school-aged patients to return to school. The primary barrier to attendance was refusal by the public schools to accommodate the injured child. Socioeconomic status, including the type of school and the income, has impact on the school attendance. The lack of a standard policy for providing home instruction to an injured child in New York City seems to enhance the confusion and places students attending certain schools at a disadvantage.