PMID- 15590228 OWN - NLM STAT- MEDLINE DCOM- 20050317 LR - 20151119 IS - 0738-3991 (Print) IS - 0738-3991 (Linking) VI - 56 IP - 1 DP - 2005 Jan TI - Exclusion of ill children from child-care centers in Israel. PG - 93-7 AB - The aim of the study was to examine criteria for ill children in child-care centers. A questionnaire on practices of exclusion/return of children according to specific signs and symptoms was mailed to the directors of care centers in central Israel. Thirty-six of the 60 questionnaires (60%) were returned by mail and the reminded were completed in personal visits to the CCCs achieving a response rate of 100%. About half (51.7%) used "common sense" and "personal feelings" to exclude children and to allow their return, and 29 (48.3%) used the guidelines of the Ministries of Education and Health or other authorities. The percentage of centers excluding children by signs/symptoms was as follows: high fever (>38 degrees C), 100%; low-grade fever, 76.7%; asthma exacerbation, 80.0%; heavy cough, 75.0%; eye discharge or conjunctivitis, 83.3%; diarrhea and vomiting more than twice per day, 100%; rash, 72.3%; otalgia, 46.7%; and infected skin lesion, 66.7%. Only four centers excluded children with head lice. Most centers required a physician's note on return of a child after high fever (76.7%), eye discharge or conjunctivitis (48.3%), and from 75 to 80%, respectively, for frequent vomiting and bloody or mucinous diarrhea. The results show that exclusion practices among child-care centers (CCCs) vary widely, suggesting the need for the establishment of a uniform exclusion and return policy in Israel, with distribution of clear, up-to-date guidelines on the prevention and control of communicable diseases to all day-care centers. In a simple way, this study identified attitudes concerning the exclusion/return of sick children in CCCs and was useful for the discussion of the related policy with CCCs responsible and national health and educational authorities. FAU - Kahan, Ernesto AU - Kahan E AD - Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. ekahan@post.tau.ac.il FAU - Gross, Samuel AU - Gross S FAU - Cohen, Herman Avner AU - Cohen HA LA - eng PT - Journal Article PL - Ireland TA - Patient Educ Couns JT - Patient education and counseling JID - 8406280 MH - *Absenteeism MH - Administrative Personnel/psychology MH - Adult MH - Animals MH - Attitude of Health Personnel MH - Child MH - Child Day Care Centers/*organization & administration MH - Communicable Disease Control/*standards MH - Consensus MH - Cough/prevention & control MH - Diarrhea/prevention & control MH - Earache/prevention & control MH - Exanthema/prevention & control MH - Fever/prevention & control MH - Guideline Adherence MH - Humans MH - Israel/epidemiology MH - Lice Infestations/prevention & control MH - Morbidity MH - Needs Assessment MH - Organizational Policy MH - Pediculus MH - Practice Guidelines as Topic MH - Respiratory Tract Infections/prevention & control MH - Scalp Dermatoses/prevention & control MH - Surveys and Questionnaires MH - Vomiting/prevention & control EDAT- 2004/12/14 09:00 MHDA- 2005/03/18 09:00 CRDT- 2004/12/14 09:00 PHST- 2003/06/15 00:00 [received] PHST- 2003/12/14 00:00 [revised] PHST- 2003/12/28 00:00 [accepted] PHST- 2004/12/14 09:00 [pubmed] PHST- 2005/03/18 09:00 [medline] PHST- 2004/12/14 09:00 [entrez] AID - S0738399104000242 [pii] AID - 10.1016/j.pec.2003.12.012 [doi] PST - ppublish SO - Patient Educ Couns. 2005 Jan;56(1):93-7. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2003.12.012.