Resident Physician, PGY1 Marshall Pediatrics Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine Huntington, West Virginia, United States
Background: Currently, if parents use an epinephrine autoinjector in response to their child’s food anaphylaxis, they are to seek medical care for evaluation. However, the recent COVID-19 pandemic resulted in major shifts in avoiding healthcare utilization.
Objective: We sought to determine if parental attitude regarding epinephrine use and post-administration treatment was altered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/Methods: Electronic medical record search of pediatric Allergy/Immunology patients at Marshall University from July 2017 to July 2020 with a food allergy diagnosis was performed. Exclusion criteria were no epinephrine prescription, or not a current patient. Parents were interviewed via telephone survey regarding previous use of epinephrine and follow-up care to that event. They were asked if and why their attitude regarding post-epinephrine medical care utilization changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. IRB approval was obtained.
Results: Of 392 patients, 84 were not reached, 129 declined, and 25 met exclusion criteria. Twenty-three of the 154 eligible patient parents had used an epinephrine autoinjector prior to the pandemic. Post-pandemic, 96.1% indicated they would seek medical evaluation post-epinephrine use. Only six patients (3.9%) would avoid going to the hospital due to COVID exposure. Nine (5.8%) parents indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic had changed their thoughts on treating allergic reactions with epinephrine. Conclusion(s): Parents of children with food allergy resulting in anaphylaxis would still overwhelmingly use their epinephrine and seek medical care after use during the COVID-19 pandemic. A minority would choose to stay home or an alternative route of care, with only two patients citing fear of exposure to COVID-19 and perceived increased treatment time as the reason.
Authors/Institutions: Ashlee Roybal, Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Huntington, West Virginia, United States; Zainab Saeed, Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Huntington, West Virginia, United States; Ian McKnight, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia, United States; Abigail R. Short, Marshall University Joan C Edwards School of Medicine, Huntington, West Virginia, United States; Deborah L. Preston, Marshall University, Joan C Edwards School of Medicine, Huntington, West Virginia, United States; Mary Beth Hogan, Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Huntington, West Virginia, United States; Meagan W. Shepherd, Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Huntington, West Virginia, United States
