Management of anaphylaxis in child care centers: evaluation 6 and 12 months after an intervention program

Abstract

Background: Many young children with a history of allergic reactions or anaphylaxis spend considerable time in child care centers. We previously reported that a significant knowledge deficit exists in anaphylaxis recognition, evaluation, and treatment and that greater anaphylaxis education is needed among child care providers.

Objective: To determine whether child care centers can recognize, evaluate, and treat anaphylactic episodes in children aged 1 to 6 years 6 months and 1 year after attending an allergy seminar.

Methods: All 39 child care centers participating in the original study were selected to complete 6-month and 1-year follow-up surveys using a similar questionnaire. Those who did not attend the seminar or complete all the previous surveys were excluded.

Results: At 6 months and 1 year, 37 and 29 centers, respectively, completed surveys. There was a significant improvement regarding when to administer intramuscular epinephrine compared with before the allergy seminar. However, only 48% of the centers at 6 months (P = .02) and 31% at 1 year (P = .002) knew how to correctly administer intramuscular epinephrine compared with 77% four weeks after the seminar. With time, there was a significant decline in correctly recognizing typical anaphylaxis symptoms, including abdominal cramping, chest tightness, shortness of breath, low blood pressure, and diarrhea, whereas symptoms such as hives, swelling, and wheezing continued to be identified correctly.

Conclusions: There is a need for renewed anaphylaxis education among child care providers. Initially, this intervention significantly increased the ability of child care center staff to recognize, evaluate, and treat anaphylaxis, but knowledge diminished gradually at 6-month and 1-year follow-up.