D1.264 - Assessment by general practitioners of a therapeutic patient education guide for allergic patients

Anaphylaxis is a rare but potentially fatal generalized allergic reaction of sudden onset and comprises mucocutaneous, digestive, respiratory, neurological and/or cardiovascular symptoms. Treatment consists in the immediate intramuscular administration of epinephrine. General practitioners (GPs) play a key role in prescribing and renewing emergency kits containing epinephrine auto-injectors (EAIs). However recognition of anaphylaxis symptoms and the proper use of the emergency kit, especially epinephrine devices, require regular patient education, which in part demands adequate training of GPs. In this study, we evaluate the value of a therapeutic patient education (TPE) guide as a tool, designed for GPs to assist allergic patients in the acquisition of efficient anaphylaxis management.   

We have created a TPE guide for instruction and training on when and how to use EAIs, based on an anaphylaxis management plan (intended for both GPs and patients) and the demonstration of EAIs by means of dummy EAI trainers. We assessed the acceptability and feasibility of this tool by GPs during medical consultations and its educational interest in their proper training.

A questionnaire survey with 10 items was conducted among 670 GPs in the regions of Isère and Savoy, France, from the December 3^rd, 2023 to June 6^th, 2024.

A total of 85 responses were included. Acceptability was demonstrated by an agreement rate of over 70 % for the 10 relevant items, and a disagreement rate of less than 30 % on a Likert scale. On the other hand, feasibility was not demonstrated due to the unavailability of dummy EAI trainers and the lack of time for the use of the guide during medical consultations. Finally, 74.1 % of the respondents reported acquisition of new knowledge about anaphylaxis management by the lecture of the documents included in the TPE guide. 

This study demonstrates the acceptability of the TPE guide for consultations in general practice and highlights its educational value for GPs. However, feasibility remains challenging due to the present medical demography. The involvement of other health professionals, particularly paramedics, in the TPE on anaphylaxis management and the use of EAIs could be an interesting option to compensate for the lack of medical availability.