This study was aimed to investigate the medicine items, medication administration anddispensing in primary school, as well as the qualification and duty of school nurses. The studypopulation was 86 health care facilities in primary schools in Bangkok, including the schools underBangkok metropolitan administration, Ministry of Education and private sector. Data were collected in 2010 using a questionnaire and observational forms. The results of this study show that every schoolhad kept medicines that were and were not over-the-counter drugs according to the 1967 Drugs Actfor their health services. Either expired medicines or medicines that changed in physical appearanceswere found in every school. This situation was founded mostly in school under supervision of Bangkok,followed by those under private sector and public sector, respectively. However, most schools storedmedicines under proper conditions. Paracetamol (325 mg.) tablet and Chloramphenical eye drop werefrequently kept inappropriately.The majority of the staff who served as school nurses were female teachers with BachelorDegree in Education Science. Some of them were trained in first aids and basic medication use.Besides serving as a school nurse, these teachers also taught in other subject areas. The healthservice duties included checking medicines and medical supplies, and dispensing of medicines tostudent. The knowledge used in dispensing medicines was gained by reading medicine labels. Theschool nurses also asked public health officers and/or consulted related books when necessary.However, 27.9 percent of the schools did not have any books about medications nor diseases. Most ofthem (93.5%) wanted to participate in the training programs that involved how to use medicines.
