Audit of nurse-led-training for epipen in a District General Hospital.
BACKGROUND
A community-based study in the London Borough of Hounslow, which included patients in our District General Hospital (DGH) Paediatric Department, found that most families who had been prescribed adrenaline auto-injectors could not use them properly. This prompted the establishment of a new protocol for doctors and an Allergy Clinic where one nurse was responsible for training all patients.


OBJECTIVE
This audit was done to reassess this service 3 years after the changes were made.


METHODS
68 of the 81 (83%) patients followed up in our District General Hospital Nurse led Allergy Clinic agreed to participate. They were compared with the District General Hospital sub-group of the previous study.


RESULTS
We found that most patients now reported they were trained to use the devise, had written instructions, were able to demonstrate competence on a dummy and would appropriately call an ambulance. This was significantly better than the previous situation.


CONCLUSIONS
The study shows that training can be improved in a DGH setting with the strategy of protocolised prescribing and a Nurse led Allergy Clinic.
Ratnaweera
D
D
Department of Paediatrics, West Middlesex University Hospital, Twickenham Road, Isleworth, Middlesex, UK.
von Trilsbach
J
J
Rangasami
J
J
Green
D A
DA
Puliyel
J M
JM
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006767:Hospitals, District; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008131:London; D008485:Medical Audit; D009726:Nurses; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods