Food Allergies
Course #98793 - $30 -
- Participation Instructions
- Review the course material online or in print.
- Complete the course evaluation.
- Review your Transcript to view and print your Certificate of Completion. Your date of completion will be the date (Pacific Time) the course was electronically submitted for credit, with no exceptions. Partial credit is not available.
Food allergy affects approximately 5% to 9.3% of children and approximately 1% to 5% of adults in the United States, and the prevalence has been increasing. The number of deaths associated with food allergy remains relatively low, but some reactions can be life-threatening, making it necessary to ensure that individuals with food allergy and their families understand the potential severity of the allergy. This course provides an overview of food allergy, beginning with a definition of food allergy and a description of the two primary types of adverse food reactions. Brief discussions of the risk factors, epidemiology and natural history, and prevention of food allergies are followed by details on the cutaneous, gastrointestinal, and respiratory manifestations of food allergy. The focus of the course is a description of the diagnostic process involved in identifying food allergies, with an exploration of the benefits and risks of testing and comment on appropriate referrals. The management of food allergy is also discussed, highlighting the treatment of severe reactions after inadvertent ingestion of an allergen. The course closes by addressing the need for patient education and a brief look to the future of treatment.
This course is designed for pediatricians, other physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, and members of the interdisciplinary team involved in the care of patients with food allergies who would benefit from a better understanding of the natural history, diagnosis, and treatment of food allergies.
The purpose of this course is to encourage healthcare professionals in the primary care setting to raise the issue of reactions to food during patient encounters, especially with parents of young patients, and to educate patients about the importance of protecting themselves or their children from allergic reactions.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Distinguish between the different types of adverse reactions to food.
- Discuss the prevalence of food allergy and the natural history of the disease, including risk factors.
- Analyze the data on strategies to prevent food allergy.
- Identify the cutaneous, gastrointestinal, and respiratory manifestations of food allergy.
- Summarize the recommended methods of diagnosing food allergy, including considerations for non-English-proficient patients.
- Describe the appropriate management of food allergies and food-induced anaphylaxis.
- Summarize the most important points of the emergency treatment of food-induced anaphylaxis.
Lori L. Alexander, MTPW, ELS, MWC, is President of Editorial Rx, Inc., which provides medical writing and editing services on a wide variety of clinical topics and in a range of media. A medical writer and editor for more than 30 years, Ms. Alexander has written for both professional and lay audiences, with a focus on continuing education materials, medical meeting coverage, and educational resources for patients. She is the Editor Emeritus of the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) Journal, the peer-review journal representing the largest association of medical communicators in the United States. Ms. Alexander earned a Master’s degree in technical and professional writing, with a concentration in medical writing, at Northeastern University, Boston. She has also earned certification as a life sciences editor and as a medical writer.
Contributing faculty, Lori L. Alexander, MTPW, ELS, MWC, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
John M. Leonard, MD
Jane C. Norman, RN, MSN, CNE, PhD
The division planners have disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Sarah Campbell
The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.
Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.
It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.
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The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.
Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.