The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology
-
J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Jun 2004
Incorrect allergy injections: allergists' experiences and recommendations for prevention.
There are several reports of fatalities caused by allergen immunotherapy and skin testing. Patients have been reported who have received incorrect allergy injections. These could put them at risk for anaphylactic reaction and a possible fatality. ⋯ Specific reasons given for the incorrect injections were patient name similar to that of another patient with incorrect name check and nurse error resulting in an incorrect dose. We conclude that allergy injections are a potential safety concern. There are a variety of prevention strategies that could be implemented to reduce or eliminate this risk, such as improved nurse training in the administration of allergy injections and compliance with the recommendations in the "Allergen Immunotherapy: A Practice Parameter" for use of patient-specific vials, standardized dosage sheets, and implementation of triple-checking of identity to make sure the correct patient is receiving the correct injection.