Tips to Create an Allergy Action Plan for Your Family

Around 80 million Americans suffer from some type of allergy. About 5.8% of children and upwards of 10.8% of adults have food allergies. From 2005 to 2014, severe allergic food reactions requiring emergency medical care increased by 124% in children. Severe allergies are not something to ignore.

An allergy action plan, also referred to as an emergency care plan (ECP), is a written document that’s approved by your doctor. It’s important to have this document readily available for people to follow if you or a family member has a severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis. It also includes tips for avoiding exposure to known allergens.

Whether you’re a parent to a child with a severe food allergy, your spouse is allergic to bee stings, or you are severely allergic to latex, an allergy action plan is essential. Have copies at home, work, daycare, school, and in your medical file. Carry a copy in your purse or wallet and store a copy in your car.

Premium Allergy and Respiratory Center established a step-by-step guide to creating a comprehensive allergy action plan. Use our tips when building your plan.

Build the Foundation

Your family’s allergy action plan needs a strong foundation, and that means you start with the basics and build from there. It can’t be something you’ve copied from the internet and checked a few boxes. Personalized, customized plans are a must.

1. Get a Medical Diagnosis

If you haven’t worked with an allergy doctor, make an appointment with an allergist. You need to have a medical diagnosis of the allergy, the severity, and the medications being used.

• The allergist runs tests to confirm your allergens. Knowing the triggers is important.
• You need a prescription for epinephrine auto-injectors. While you may not need it before it expires, if you ever do, an EpiPen or similar is a lifesaver. 
• Get a standard allergy action plan template from AAFA or FARE to use a format that is easy to scan and get essential information in case of an emergency.
• Purchase a medical alert bracelet or pendant and wear it just in case.

2. Customize Your Action Plan

You have a template and a professional diagnosis. Now is time to complete your template with personal information.

Provide a list of allergens that are identified by the allergist.

• List your symptoms and severity after exposure. In the first few seconds, you may exhibit mild to moderate symptoms like hives or itching of the mouth and tongue. In minutes, you might experience anaphylaxis. Make it clear what signs and time limits people are looking at.
• When do people use the antihistamines that you carry in case of an allergic reaction? When should epinephrine be given? Be clear with these instructions.
• List what people need to do once you’ve been given epinephrine. While 911 is the first call to make, who gets the next calls? Parents, siblings, spouse, doctor, etc.

Share the Action Plan With Everyone of Importance

After completing the main components in a family allergy action plan, it’s time to share it with the people you’re with regularly.

3. Identify Your Support Network

Note who should be informed of your allergy action plan. Think of key people who are closest to you during the day. These might be your child’s best friends and teachers. It could be your spouse and coworkers. It might be your roommate. 

Once you know who is in your support group, give them a copy of your allergy action plan. Here are some of the places you should distribute this plan.

• Home – Pin it to your refrigerator and place a copy in your wallet or purse.
• Childcare/School – Make sure teachers and the main office have a copy.
• Work – Your HR department needs your plan, and close coworkers should also be given a copy.
• Family, friends, caregivers, teachers, and coworkers all need to be informed and trained.
• Teammates – If you or your child plays sports or enjoys other group activities, make sure the coach or group organizer has a copy.

4. Train Everyone in the Support Group

It’s time to teach everyone who gets a copy of your allergy action plan. Go over each piece of information or step to make sure they’re prepared for what to look for and how to react. If you can quickly do a practice session, do so.

If your child has a severe allergy, teach your child how to recognize allergens and identify a severe allergic response. Your child needs to understand when to signal for help and avoid contact with allergens.

5. Childcare and School Forms

If the allergy action plan is for your school-aged child, you need to develop a Section 504 Plan. It’s a legal document that shares what the school needs to do to ensure your child’s learning environment is safe. This includes things like training staff to manage a severe allergy, creating nut-free or other allergen-free areas, and making sure a child is safe on outings.

6. Have Medications and Supplies Ready and Easily Located

Your medication is an important part of your allergy action plan. Make sure it is accessible and stored properly. If you direct people to your backpack or purse in your action plan, that’s where they’re going to look. If you forget to put it there, they cannot help.

Medications do expire. Check the expiration regularly and get an updated prescription before that happens. Set a calendar reminder on your phone, tablet, or computer to remind you before you run out or go past the expiration date.

Practice Continued Allergy Management

Once a family allergy action plan is established, you can’t stop there. Continued review is important. It’s also vital that you keep seeing an allergist to make sure medications and other actions you take are doing enough. You don’t want to get lax and end up with someone having a severe reaction.

7. Avoid Allergens

If you avoid obvious allergens, the risk of a severe reaction is minimized. Don’t be afraid to speak up and advocate for yourself. If you have a food allergy, tell your server. Consider carrying allergy cards to hand to the chef that contain more details. Your server can help you find foods that do not contain your allergen or alert you if it’s impossible to accommodate your allergy. 

For example, I have an uncommon allergy to lettuce. I dined at a Lebanese restaurant and informed my server. The chef came to my table to ask questions about the severity and if cabbage or spinach was okay or not. He knew to ask these as he has an allergy to mango and understood.

When you’re shopping, read labels and look carefully for allergens. If you cannot find the information you need, search online before you buy it.

8. Review Your Plan Each Year or After a Severe Reaction

Allergies can change over time. You might find a medication you’ve been using stops working effectively. You need to constantly review and update your allergy action plan.

Make an Appointment Today

In addition to a clear, comprehensive allergy action plan, you need to work with an allergist. Today’s immunotherapy allergy treatments help lessen the severe effects with certain allergies. Even if immunotherapy doesn’t help completely, every small step counts towards a healthier, safer lifestyle.

Have your allergist go over your family’s allergy action plan regularly to ensure you’ve addressed everything and to make necessary changes. Make an appointment with Premium Allergy to learn more about building a physician-approved allergy action plan for your family.