A survey of school’s preparedness for managing anaphylaxis in pupils with food allergy

Raptis, G., Perez-Botella, M., Totterdell, R., Gerasimidis, K. and Michaels, L. J. (2020) A survey of school’s preparedness for managing anaphylaxis in pupils with food allergy. European Journal of Pediatrics, 179, pp. 1537-1545. (doi: 10.1007/s00431-020-03645-0) (PMID:32249360) (PMCID:PMC7479013)

Abstract

Allergic diseases are on the increase and can affect the child’s well-being. The aim of this survey was to assess regional schools’ preparedness in dealing with anaphylaxis following the publication of national and international guidelines for schools in 2014. The survey was developed in 2015 and distributed to schools in Cumbria, North West England, UK between 2015 and 2016. Only 47% of the respondents (95% CI, 39–57%) felt confident to manage anaphylaxis. Schools without allergic pupils were significantly less likely to have a standard management protocol in place for emergencies compared to those with allergic pupils (p < 0.001). The majority of the schools indicated that further training was needed (81% (95% CI, 74–88%). Conclusion: At the time of the survey, schools’ preparedness in the region, did not meet safety standards recommended by national and international organisations. Although schools have shown eagerness in accessing training in the management of anaphylaxis, tailored training for schools is not yet widely available. There is now an urgent need to design feasible training strategies that create a safe environment for allergic pupils across all UK schools.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Gerasimidis, Professor Konstantinos and Raptis, Dr George and Totterdell, Becky
• Authors: Raptis, G., Perez-Botella, M., Totterdell, R., Gerasimidis, K., and Michaels, L. J.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing
• Journal Name: European Journal of Pediatrics
• Publisher: Springer
• ISSN: 0340-6199
• ISSN (Online): 1432-1076
• Published Online: 05 April 2020
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © The Author(s) 2020
• First Published: First published in European Journal of Pediatrics 179:1537–1545
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license