Latex allergy precautions. A research-based protocol.

Recently, a number of case reports in the literature have heightened the awareness of health care professionals to the prevalence and seriousness of allergies to natural rubber latex. Reports of serious anaphylactic reactions in patients with no known history of the allergy are particularly alarming. The Iowa Model for improving quality through research utilization provided a framework to develop a protocol for screening patients and caring for those identified as high risk for a systemic reaction to latex. An overview of this research-based practice protocol and the process used are presented.