Education policy and procedures register > Health and safety > HLS-PR-009: Administration of Routine and Emergency Medication in Schools >

Self-administration of Medications and Self-management of Health Conditions

Contemporary management of chronic health conditions encourages students to recognise the signs and symptoms of their condition, administer their own medication or perform a health procedure, and participate in the full range of activities offered by the school. In the event of an emergency situation, it may be necessary for a student to be assisted with the administration of medication (e.g. when using an adrenaline auto-injector such as EpiPen or Anapen to treat anaphylaxis or a blue reliever such as Ventolin to manage asthma).

In schools, self-administration may apply to students who are assessed by their parents/carers as capable and approved by the principal as appropriate.

Self-administration of medication or health procedure may include but is not limited to:

use of adrenaline auto-injector (eg. EpiPen or Anapen)
monitoring blood glucose levels and the injection of insulin for diabetes
inhaling reliever medication such as Ventolin for asthma
orally administering anti-convulsant medication for epilepsy
orally administering enzyme replacements for cystic fibrosis
clean Intermittent Self-Catheterisation

Students approved to carry their own medication should demonstrate practices of secure storage of medication that may be potentially harmful to other students and safe disposal of sharps equipment.

Teachers can assist students to manage their health condition by incorporating their medication needs in the routine management of the class and school.

The school must take into consideration the student's confidentiality and privacy.

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