title: Presence of food allergy emergency action plans in Mississippi.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Multiple national, state, and local organizations recommend that emergency action plans (EAPs) direct therapy of allergic reactions in schoolchildren.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the school nurse's perception of food allergies and the presence of EAPs for food allergic students in Mississippi.
  
  
  METHODS
  An investigator-developed food allergy survey was offered to all Mississippi public school nurses in 2008 and 2009.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The survey had a combined response rate of 29% (194/659) for the 2 years of the study. In both years, most participating school nurses had at least 1 food allergic student at their school (mean [SD], 11 [10] students per school). In 2008, 30% (28/93) of the school nurses reported that food allergy EAPs were present for all of their food allergic students, whereas 29% (27/93) of school nurses had 0% to 10% of their known food allergic students on EAPs. Similarly, in 2009, 37% (34/93) of school nurses reported all of their food allergic students possessed a food allergy EAP, whereas 26% (24/93) of school nurses had 0% to 10% of their known food allergic students on EAPs. In 2008, students were more likely to have food EAPs if the nurse received information on food allergies from parents or a physician or if the student attended a school in an urban area. However in 2009, only if the nurse received information from a physician were they more likely to have an EAP for their students.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although numerous organizations recommend food allergy EAPs for allergic students, our study highlights their inconsistent use in Mississippi.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, Greenville Hospital University Medical Center, Greenville, South Carolina 29607, USA. jpulcini@ghs.org
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pulcini
authors.forename: Gailen D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naveed
mesh_terms: D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006308:Health Systems Plans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008922:Mississippi; D010290:Parents; D011153:Population; D012572:School Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012573:School Nursing; D014481:United States