"Stocking EpiPens At Restaurants Might Reduce Fatal Allergic Reactions" - Carolyn Crist
If restaurants and other food establishments stocked epinephrine autoinjectors, the number of fatal allergic reactions, known as anaphylaxis, could decrease, a small study in Canada suggests. The success of the epinephrine autoinjector stocking program depends on several factors, including local government support, effective staff training, low resource requirements and embedding the program into existing policies and procedures. “Whether you’re diagnosed with an allergen already or have your first allergic reaction at a restaurant, this could stop a potentially life-threatening moment,” said Scott Sicherer, MD, professor of pediatrics, allergy and immunology and chief of the division of allergy and immunology at the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who was not involved in the study. “When you eat outside of your home, you depend on other people to make food for you,” he said. “This program is a good model that makes sense.”
- Scott Sicherer, MD, Professor, Pediatrics, Allergy and Immunology, Chief, Division of Allergy and Immunology, Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai