Page 20 - Anaphylaxis in Schools & Other Settings, 3rd Edition Revised
P. 20
General Recommendations Identification of Individuals at Risk
Administrators should collect information about a student’s medical condition at the time of registration. Ideally, the review of this information should occur before the new school year as well as before special activities, such as school field trips. Questions or concerns about changes in a child’s condition or treatment protocol should then be addressed. All school staff, including supply or substitute teachers and volunteers, must be aware of students at risk for anaphylaxis, have access to their allergy information and anaphylaxis plan (as appropriate), and be instructed in the proper management strategies including the correct use of an epinephrine auto-injector. A process should be in place to ensure that all staff receives regular training. (See Appendix B: Action Steps for Anaphylaxis Management.)
Anaphylaxis Plan
A comprehensive written school anaphylaxis plan (“school plan”) should be prepared which defines roles and responsibilities and includes information about avoidance strategies, staff training, and emergency protocol. There should be a communication strategy to ensure that the school plan is understood by the entire school community.
A school anaphylaxis plan serves to reduce the risk of exposure to allergenic substances and helps school communities prepare for an emergency situation. It should not imply a guarantee (e.g. peanut- free environment) or that there is zero risk. School communities should strive to create an environment that is described as ‘allergy-safe’ rather than ‘allergen-free’. The school anaphylaxis plan should be reviewed and updated on a scheduled basis. (See Appendix C for a sample school anaphylaxis plan.)
Roles and Responsibilities
Anaphylaxis management is a shared responsibility that includes allergic children, their parents/ guardians, caregivers, and the entire school community.
Parents/Guardians
Parents/guardians should make every effort to teach their allergic children to self-protect. Good safety habits should be established from an early age. Parents/guardians:
Must educate the allergic child on avoidance strategies.
Are responsible for informing the school about the child’s allergies, updating the school on any changes (e.g. diagnosis of an additional allergy, outgrowing an allergy), and providing the
16
Anaphylaxis in Schools & Other Settings
© 2005-2016 Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Consensus Statement
