Albuquerque Public Schools
THE INDIVIDUALIZED HEALTHCARE PLAN
I. Clinical Purposes of the Individualized Healthcare Plan (IHP)
A. Clarifying and consolidating health information - This can be a tool to communicate with
the educational team about the student’s individual needs related to his or her health
AND how health impacts his or her education
B. Identifying the needs of the student (assessment) - Specify what the student looks like
without supports and explain why those supports are needed. This can be a tool to
teach and remind staff about what needs to be observed for and what needs to be done
to help the student succeed in the EDUCATIONAL environment
C. Establishing the priority set of nursing diagnoses for a student - This can be tool to keep
nursing care focused and directed (both for the current school nurse AND for the next
nurse who will be responsible for the student). Think long term and try to establish a
plan a care that is solid enough to follow the student through many years. It can be
“tweaked” as needs alter through the years, but the fundamentals should be there.
D. Providing a method of communication to direct care and interventions necessary for the
student to access his/her education
E. Building the foundation for documentation. The IHP directs elements of the Individual
Education Program, classroom education, as well as the health care of the student and
any Medicaid billing regarding that care.
F. Ensuring consistency and continuity of care. Remember this is a tool for the current
nurse and this is a tool for the people who come into the student’s future also. An IHP is
absolutely required for all students receiving regular medications at school, receiving
treatments/procedures at school, or receiving routine observations at school (such as
daily rounds and assessments). An IHP should be considered for any student with a
health or mental health condition which impacts his or her education or ability to access
an education.
G. Providing a means to review and evaluate. The nurse will need a means to determine if
the plan is on track and if it is not then a change will be required until there is a plan
that allows for the STUDENT’S SUCCESS!
II. STEPS TO WRITING AN IHP
A. ASSESSMENT
a) Review student condition
b) Complete physical assessment
c) Talk to the student, talk to the family, talk to teachers, talk to providers
d) Determine physical & educational access barriers
e) Obtain any needed Provider authorizations
B. NURSING DIAGNOSIS
a) Basis for nursing intervention
b) Derived from data collected
c) Determines conclusion regarding care
d) Sets priorities for care
e) North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) Diagnoses are used
C. GOALS & EXPECTED OUTCOMES
a) General Goals - the hoped for overall expectation
(1) generally very global
(2) generally more long term
b) Specific expected outcomes (or objectives)
Section VII: Individualized Health Plan
APS Nursing Manual
June 2006
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Albuquerque Public Schools
(1) Realistic - what will success look like for this student?
(2) Short or long term
(3) Measurable
D. INTERVENTIONS
a) Treatment done to achieve or enhance student outcomes both for
health/mental health and for education
b) Description of what will be done and by whom
c) Suggestions for classroom interventions based on appropriate interventions for
the student’s diagnosis from the medical literature (cite your sources)
E. EDUCATIONAL IN FOCUS
a) What must be done medically for the student’s health and/or mental health for
the student to access his or her education or educational environment and succeed?
b) Remember interventions need to specify what must be done based on the
medical condition of the student in order for the student to succeed
EDUCATIONALLY.
(1) Therefore if a classroom teacher or staff person can enhance the
student’s education by following through with a recommendation that is
based on the student’s health/mental health condition go ahead and make
the recommendation in the interventions.
(2) Identify it as a guide or recommendation only. Precede
recommendation with a statement such as, “Suggestions for classroom
intervention.”
F. IDEA, 2005 states that Individualized Education Plans (IEP) must be evidence based,
whenever possible. This includes the Individualized Healthcare Plan that becomes a
part of the IEP.
G. Changes to an IHP: Individualized Healthcare Plans should NOT be destroyed once they
are updated or no longer in service. Put a single line diagonally through the document
and write “discontinued” and the date on each page and place the discontinued care
plan in the student’s confidential Health Folder. The plan that was in place during a
particular time frame must be available for review. Any changes made on an IHP must
be made with a single line placed through the changed item, with “discontinued” and
the date the change was made as well as the initials of the nurse making the change (the
nurse must have a full legal signature in one location on the document). The
parent/guardian must initial all changes also.
Section VII: Individualized Health Plan
APS Nursing Manual
June 2006
Page 2 of 2