Anaphylaxis update: schools and children’s education and care webinar 2021

To help inform school and CEC staff about adrenaline injector devices in Australia and ASCIA Action Plans, a free webinar was conducted by the National Allergy Strategy in partnership with Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia and the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA).

The webinar recording is available below along with just over 20 questions that were answered specifically during the webcast.  There are also further written questions and answers available.  

The webinar:

• Provides information about EpiPen® and Anapen® and what resources are available.
• Provides information about the new ASCIA Action Plans.
• Includes responses to participant questions by an expert panel comprising:
  • Dr Katie Frith (Clinical immunology/allergy specialist)
  • Ms Maria Said (National Allergy Strategy Co-chair and Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia CEO)
  • Ms Briony Tyquin (Clinical nurse consultant – allergy)
  • Ms Val Noble (Clinical nurse consultant – allergy)

Useful links

During the webinar, several resources were referred to. The links to these resources are provided below. 

• How to give an Anapen animation
• How to give an EpiPen animation
• ASCIA Action Plans
• Order an Anapen or EpiPen trainer device
• ASCIA anaphylaxis e-training for schools and children’s education and care
• ASCIA anaphylaxis refresher e-training
• ASCIA adrenaline injector FAQs
• ASCIA Action Plan FAQs
• How to order an adrenaline injector training device.

More Questions and Answers

For more written Q&As from the webcast see:

• Adrenaline injector Q&A
• ASCIA Action Plan Q&A
• Anaphylaxis training Q&A

Webinar with questions

• Anaphylaxis Update: Schools and CEC Webinar - full version
• What are the rhymes for EpiPen® and Anapen® administration?
  Anapen® rhyme

  White end on leg, press thumb on red.

  EpiPen® rhyme

  Blue to the sky, orange to the thigh.

   

• Are EpiPen®s being phased out?
• Where can you get an adrenaline injector trainer device from?
• If your child has a plan on an older form, can you still use it, or should it be updated?
• What is your advice to schools, if a parent brings an Action Plan to the school or to the childcare service, and it’s black and white.
• If the date on the Action Plan has passed, and there’s no new Action Plan, should the school be contacting the parents to follow up if a child is due for a review?
• Will doctors now be giving parents both plans at their appointments?
• Do Anapen®s have a longer expiry date?
• Why do we have a second device available in Australia now?
• Do both Anapen® and EpiPen® contain adrenaline?
• Can Anapen® be used in substitution for an EpiPen® and vice versa? For example, if a child is prescribed and EpiPen® but there is an Anapen® in the first aid kit, can you use the Anapen® on a child that has been prescribed EpiPen®?
• Where can I do refresher training for managing anaphylaxis?
• Is there a cost difference between the devices?
• Should schools and childcare have both devices in their first aid kits?
• The supervisor verifier course that runs in Victoria, that’s a mandatory requirement in Victoria, will teachers have to do the training again?
• Can you use an expired Anapen® or EpiPen® in an emergency if you don’t have an in-date one?
• What do you suggest staff in schools and childcare do if they’re a bit nervous about replacing the needle shield on the Anapen®? Is there another option?
• Is Anapen® a generic device?
• Now that there is a 500 microgram device available, do you think it’s likely that the older teenagers are going to be prescribed Anapen® 500 rather than an EpiPen® which is 300?
• What approach would you recommend that schools and childcare take in terms of trying to train staff and have schools and all their childcare services ready for an Anapen® coming into either their school or childcare?
• If a school wants to have an Anapen® device, what guidance would you give around having a 300 microgram device as opposed to a 500 microgram device?
• Why do I need to write down the time the adrenaline injector was administered and is there a difference between Anapen® and EpiPen®? Should I give the used device to the paramedics?

Content updated January 2021