Individual Health Plan (IHP) Development

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The student’s continuity of health care from home to school is important to access their education program. The school nurse functions as an integral educational team member to deliver nursing practice and health services to students. The individual health plan (IHP) is tailored to define the ongoing health and nursing services provided when a student is accessing their education program. The IHP is written by a school nurse employed by the school using the components of the nursing process in partnership with the parents, student, healthcare provider, or education team. The IHP follows the student through the course of their educational program, including before and after school-sponsored activities. School nurses develop, review, evaluate, and adjust the IHP through communication with parents, the student, their fellow colleagues or others for a student whose health (stable or unstable) requires the following health service delivery:

  • administration of health procedures

  • individualized health education

  • healthcare intervention or interpretation, to include emergency planning

  • use of a health device to compensate for the reduction or loss of a body function 

The purpose of this resource is to provide information to the education team on what is required when using the IHP template as required in regulations, the nursing process, describe the importance of communication with the student or family when developing goals, assigning a domain to the goal or outcome, how to scale a goal or outcome for evaluation and provide best practices in workflow of documentation as outlined in required school policies and procedures.

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What is an IHP?

The IHP is an individualized plan developed by the school nurse using the nursing process with effective communication to manage a student’s special health service needs. The IHP follows the student through the course of their educational program. The IHP is defined as:

 “means the documented plan of care utilizing the nursing process as defined in 655—Chapter 6 for evidence-based management of the student’s ongoing special health service in the educational program. The school nurse may develop this plan in collaboration with the education team. The plan also includes a provision for emergencies to provide direction in managing an individual’s health condition (stable or unstable). Documentation of evaluation and updates to the plan are completed as needed and at least annually”.

 (IAC 281.14.2) 

The school nurse, who develops the IHP, works under the auspices of the school and may provide indirect care by delegating nursing tasks and functions to licensed or qualified personnel for students who require health services. This written plan may address delegated health services or how to address emergency needs. The plan must contain the roles and responsibilities of the school, parents, and others in the provision, supply, storage, and maintenance of necessary equipment for health service delivery. The school nurse is responsible for planning, writing, implementing and evaluating the IHP. The school nurse is responsible to monitor, supervise, and evaluate delegated tasks.

 (IAC 281.14.2; IAC 655.6)

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General Instructions for the IHP Template

  1. To download and open the fillable template, the school nurse must use the free version of Adobe Acrobat or their student information system if the document is added to their existing system.
  2. Read this reference document in its entirety prior to entering information into the template.
  3. Remember to always save your work before closing the document.
  4. The remaining pages in this reference will include the processes for the development of an IHP.
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