Evaluating the management of anaphylaxis in US emergency departments: Guidelines vs. practice

BACKGROUND: Anaphylaxis is characterized by acute episodes of potentially life-threatening symptoms that are often treated in the emergency setting. Current guidelines recommend: 1) quick diagnosis using standard criteria; 2) first-line treatment with epinephrine; and 3) discharge with a prescriptio...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:World journal of emergency medicine 2013-01, Vol.4 (2), p.98-106
Main Authors: Russell, W. Scott, Farrar, Judith Rosen, Nowak, Richard, Hays, Daniel P., Schmitz, Natalie, Wood, Joseph, Miller, Judi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anaphylaxis
Asthma
Emergency medical care
Emergency services
Food allergies
Medical personnel
Medical referrals
Medicine
Nurse practitioners
Original
Pediatrics
Professionals
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:BACKGROUND: Anaphylaxis is characterized by acute episodes of potentially life-threatening symptoms that are often treated in the emergency setting. Current guidelines recommend: 1) quick diagnosis using standard criteria; 2) first-line treatment with epinephrine; and 3) discharge with a prescription for an epinephrine auto-injector, written instructions regarding long-term management, and a referral (preferably, allergy) for follow-up. However, studies suggest low concordance with guideline recommendations by emergency medicine (EM) providers. The study aimed to evaluate how emergency departments (EDs) in the United States (US) manage anaphylaxis in relation to guideline recommendations. METHODS: This was an online anonymous survey of a random sample of EM health providers in US EDs. RESULTS: Data analysis included 207 EM providers. For respondent EDs, approximately 9% reported using agreed-upon clinical criteria to diagnose anaphylaxis; 42% reported administering epinephrine in the ED for most anaphylaxis episodes; and
ISSN:1920-8642
DOI:10.5847/wjem.j.issn.1920-8642.2013.02.003