PP5 Simulation in the classroom – an anaphylaxis teaching package for children in senior school

Abstract

Background There have been several widely publicised cases of food related anaphylaxis in recent years, sadly with fatal outcomes. The incidence of allergies is on the increase,1 including in children who have allergies to commonly encountered triggers, such as dairy products and nuts. We decided to raise allergy awareness in school, amongst pupils and staff, by developing a rolling training programme including an interactive talk and simulation. Methods We produced a training package including a PowerPoint presentation with slides and videos specifically for classroom sized group teaching. The information was gathered from the Resuscitation council, the AllergyUK and after discussion with nursing and medical staff. Following presentation to the school health and safety officer and to a doctor, the training was rolled out during Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE) lessons. Specific areas covered were: How to recognise anaphylaxis, how to call for help and knowledge of the treatment protocol in the community. This was followed by a clinical skills session with hands on familiarisation with several brands of donated dummy epinephrine auto-injectors, which pupils administered to each other. We consolidated the theoretical learning with a simulation session including recognition of anaphylaxis, calling for help, basic life support and the use of a dummy auto-injector. Results 180 year 7 pupils underwent the teaching and simulation throughout the school year, as part of the PHSE curriculum. Teachers were also present and refreshed their knowledge. Qualitative feedback was gathered, demonstrated universally enhanced knowledge and a large boost in confidence to assist or use the auto-injector if witnessing an anaphylactic reaction. The teaching staff also found this a very valuable refresher of knowledge and skills. Discussion and Conclusions In order to continue the education once we have left school, the package has been made available for future use. We suggest that to ensure retention of knowledge for participants, a regular refresher would be useful. The combination of classroom teaching with experiential learning through simulation is known to improve knowledge retention and aid comprehension.2 We postulate that the pupils’ improved knowledge and skills will equip them with confidence to act, if faced with a severe allergic reaction in the community in the future. Reference Tang MLK and Mullins RJ. Food allergy: is prevalence increasing?Intern Med J ( 2017):47;256–261. Bartsch C. ( 2017) Importance of a Hands-On Experience in the Elementary Classroom. https://classroom.synonym.com/importance-handson-experience-elementary-classroom-6701.html.