UBC researcher finds many parents don’t know how to use EpiPen

For people with severe allergies — especially children — an EpiPen can be a lifesaver in the palm of your hand.

The only problem is too many parents don’t know how to use them properly. That’s why a UBC doctor launched a program to help parents recognize the signs of anaphylaxis and teach them how to administer the shot.

The number of children with peanut allergies has tripled in the last two decades. Today an estimated seven per cent of children have food allergies that could lead to anaphylaxis, which Dr. Edmond Chan describes as a “severe life-threatening allergic reaction.”

Jennifer Koo knew her daughter, Em, was allergic to peanuts. But since Em had done well to avoid them she didn’t really know what the symptoms were.

“Basically I thought anaphylactic shock is when someone was turning purple and they were short of breath,” Koo said.

It’s a common misconception. But very often symptoms are less obvious, potentially affecting not only the respiratory tract but the skin, cardiovascular system and the gastrointestinal tract.

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“Any two of those four would automatically qualify as anaphylaxis,” Chan said.

Koo learned that during an oral challenge test at BC Children’s Hospital.

Her daughter was given peanut butter and shortly after she started itching, sniffling, coughing and vomiting. She was then told to use an EpiPen, which delivers a life-saving dose of adrenaline. It turned out to be easier said than done.

In a UBC study conducted out of BC Children’s Hospital, Dr. Chan found that not only do many parents not know the symptoms of anaphylaxis, they don’t know how to use the EpiPen.

Chan explains it this way.

“You hold it in your dominant hand, remove the blue cap with your other hand and then put the orange tip against the middle part of the thigh and then push until you hear a click,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "You hold it in your dominant hand, remove the blue cap with your other hand and then put the orange tip against the middle part of the thigh and then push until you hear a click," he said.

But some parents put the orange tip against their thumb and unintentionally prick themselves or sometimes withdraw the needle too fast.

As a result there have been a few changes at BC Children’s Hospital. Instead of medical staff giving the shot in an emergency, Chan says staff “can hand one of these devices to the parent or the patient and have them self-administer.”

Koo says she hopes that she’ll never have to use an EpiPen, but if the need arises she’ll “know what do do.”

– With files from Linda Aylesworth