Abstract
BackgroundChildren with life threatening food allergies live with the constant threat of a fatal reaction, and caregivers must always be prepared to treat with an epinephrine auto-injector (EAI). This interpretive phenomenological study explored parents’ perceptions and lived experiences with prescribed EAI use for their child.MethodsThe purposive sample included ten parents of five children under 12 years of age, diagnosed with a food allergy and prescribed with an EAI who recently experienced anaphylaxis. Data sources included digitally-recorded semi-structured interviews and a reflexive journal.ResultsEight main themes emerged: perception of anaphylaxis, life challenges, isolation, anxiety, hesitation, guilt, influence of health care professionals, and lessons learned. Parents uniformly described multiple life challenges and feelings of isolation, anxiety and hesitation during a reaction that lead to subsequent guilt.ConclusionsHandling reactions correctly provided parents with confidence to treat subsequent reactions. Witnessing the effects of an EAI and receiving positive feedback from health care providers further strengthened their confidence to quickly and competently intervene in future reactions.
Highlights
Children with life threatening food allergies live with the constant threat of a fatal reaction, and caregivers must always be prepared to treat with an epinephrine auto-injector (EAI)
Four of the children were diagnosed within the first year of life, and one was diagnosed at age three. It was not confirmed whether each allergen sensitization caused clinical symptoms as only the most severe anaphylactic reaction within the last 24 months was described
This study has identified parents’ experiences of inconsistent messages from health care professionals
Summary
Children with life threatening food allergies live with the constant threat of a fatal reaction, and caregivers must always be prepared to treat with an epinephrine auto-injector (EAI). It is estimated that food allergies cost the American economy approximately 25 billion dollars (USD) annually with direct and indirect costs of medical appointments, including loss of family work days [4] and the cost is only increasing as incidence of food allergy rise [1]. This medical condition is of global concern affecting quality of life of both patients and their families. It is crucial to understand the root cause(s) of failing to treat anaphylactic reactions competently in order to better manage the health of children with food allergies
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