Level of knowledge about anaphylaxis among health care providers

Level of knowledge about anaphylaxis was evaluated in health care providers by using a self-administered questionnaire.

A total of 1172 participants responded to the survey, and previously half of them had met a case with anaphylaxis with a highest rate in primary and a lowest rate in tertiary care (p= 0.005).

84.7% of participants answered the questions about the symptoms of anaphylaxis correctly. Although 62.6% of the group knew correctly anaphylaxis treatment steps, 44.7% of them agreed to administer epinephrine if they suspected of a subject with anaphylaxis. One third of the group indicated appropriate route of epinephrine administration. 85.2% of participants agreed to refer the patient to allergy clinic despite 33.7% of the group were unaware of where the nearest allergy clinic was. Only 20.3% of the respondents have heard about epinephrine auto-injector.

Anaphylaxis was often diagnosed and managed inadequately, regardless of practice location, employment status and speciality in north-eastern Turkey.