Hua Tonghuan, Sambell Ros, Wallace Ruth, Vale Sandra, Devine Amanda
Public Health, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
National Allergy Strategy, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
J Paediatr Child Health. 2020 Mar;56(3):394-399. doi: 10.1111/jpc.14633. Epub 2019 Oct 7.
To assess Australian Early Childhood Education and Care Services (ECEC) staff on their preparedness to manage children with food allergy (FA) and anaphylaxis.
An online survey addressing training, knowledge, skills and staff confidence to manage FA and anaphylaxis was emailed to 5956 ECEC services nationally (excluding Western Australia, where this survey had been previously implemented); 494 surveys were completed and analysed.
One in 10 (9.5%) ECEC services did not require staff to undertake anaphylaxis training, indicating non-compliance with current legislation. Staff felt confident in managing FA and anaphylaxis, regardless of their level of training. Against recommendations, 37% of participating ECEC services stored adrenaline autoinjectors (AAI) in a locked location. Only 51.4% of ECEC services reported having an AAI trainer device. Victoria reported the highest level of anaphylaxis management training (P < 0.05), and staff were significantly less likely to store their AAI devices in a locked location compared to New South Wales and Queensland (P < 0.001). New South Wales and Queensland had a significantly lower proportion of services with AAI training devices than Victoria (P < 0.001).
ECEC staff self-reported high levels of training, knowledge, skills and confidence in FA and anaphylaxis management. However, we identified gaps in staff knowledge and skills, particularly in how to correctly store and administer an AAI device. Compliance with appropriate FA and anaphylaxis policies and emergency response plans need to be prioritised.
评估澳大利亚幼儿教育与照料服务（ECEC）工作人员对管理食物过敏（FA）和过敏反应儿童的准备情况。
一项关于管理FA和过敏反应的培训、知识、技能及工作人员信心的在线调查通过电子邮件发送给全国5956个ECEC服务机构（不包括西澳大利亚州，该调查此前已在该州实施）；共完成并分析了494份调查问卷。
十分之一（9.5%）的ECEC服务机构未要求工作人员接受过敏反应培训，这表明未遵守现行法规。无论培训水平如何，工作人员对管理FA和过敏反应都感到有信心。与建议相悖的是，37%的参与调查的ECEC服务机构将肾上腺素自动注射器（AAI）存放在上锁的地方。只有51.4%的ECEC服务机构报告拥有AAI培训设备。维多利亚州报告的过敏反应管理培训水平最高（P < 0.05），与新南威尔士州和昆士兰州相比，该州工作人员将AAI设备存放在上锁地方的可能性显著降低（P < 0.001）。新南威尔士州和昆士兰州配备AAI培训设备的服务机构比例明显低于维多利亚州（P < 0.001）。
ECEC工作人员自我报告在FA和过敏反应管理方面的培训、知识、技能和信心水平较高。然而，我们发现工作人员在知识和技能方面存在差距，特别是在如何正确储存和使用AAI设备方面。需要优先遵守适当的FA和过敏反应政策及应急响应计划。
