Use of a food allergy care management pathway in adolescents
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Use of a food allergy care management pathway in adolescents

Anna Trower Final year children’s nursing student, King’s College London
Sheryl Gettings Tutor, child health, King’s College London

Anna Trower and Sheryl Gettings stress the importance of educating teenage patients and accounting for risk-taking behaviours, together with the need for adherence to treatment to reduce potentially fatal incidents

The prevalence of allergic diseases is increasing, with estimates suggesting that 3.9% of 0-19 year olds have a food allergy. Adolescents are seen as a high-risk group for anaphylaxis because of their risk-taking behaviours and challenges in using adrenaline auto-injectors. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health provides an allergy care pathway to assist health professionals with these issues.

The pathway could be implemented more effectively with the adolescent age group if education on how to follow it was improved for young people and their parents/carers. Healthcare staff also need training on how best to deliver information to this age group and to monitor them. More technically stylish adrenaline auto-injectors, designed with the involvement of adolescents, together with clearer food labelling, would also help avoid episodes of anaphylaxis.

Nursing Children and Young People. 27, 5, 16-20. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.27.5.16.e582

Correspondence

anna.trower@kcl.ac.uk

Peer review

This article has been subject to open peer review and checked using antiplagiarism software

Conflict of interest

None declared

Received: 30 September 2014

Accepted: 07 November 2014

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