title: Epinephrine auto-injector use and demographics in a Veterans Administration population.
abstract: The epinephrine auto-injector has been widely used over a long period of time. Certain aspects of this therapy and demographic data, however, have not been well studied. This study investigates patient use and understanding of epinephrine auto-injector use. As part of an ongoing quality assurance program, we evaluated 66 patients who had been given an epinephrine auto-injector and followed in the Allergy and Immunology Clinics at the West Los Angeles Veterans Medical Center. Data analyzed included patient demographics, medical indications for epinephrine auto-injector prescriptions, and the patient's understanding and use of the device. The mean age of our patients was 50 years. There were 44 men (66.7%) and 22 women (33%). Twenty-three patients were prescribed epinephrine auto-injector for adverse food reactions. Ninety-two percent (92%) of the patients knew how to use their epinephrine auto-injector properly, however, only 58% carried their device with them consistently. Of the patients, 91% understood why the auto-injector was prescribed. Of the total patients prescribed epinephrine auto-injector, 79% refilled their medication before the 1 year expiration date. Only 12% of the patients studied had required the use of their auto-injector. Most patients knew how and when to administer their epinephrine auto-injector. Despite detailed instructions in a specialty clinic only a slight majority carried it consistently. These data clearly indicate that further patient education or other measures are needed to improve compliance and effective use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Immunology, Veterans Administration Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90073, USA. aliamirzadeh@gmail.com
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amirzadeh
authors.forename: Prashant
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Klaustermeyer
mesh_terms: D000707:Anaphylaxis / Q000517:prevention & control; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D055656:Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs; D014728:Veterans
chemical_list: D004837:Epinephrine