News

Jul 9, 2010

Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center's Allergy Department presented an abstract at the AAAAI regarding Rosch Immunotherapy and how implementing the system has increased their patient safety.

[b]MODERN TECHNOLOGY MAKING IMMUNOTHERAPY SAFER[/b] [b] [/b][b]Author Block:[/b] RG Houser, JB Hunter, S Shaeffer, LH Fisher, TJ Craig: Allergy/Immunology, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA. [b] [/b][b]Rationale:[/b] A recent trend in allergy has been standardization to decrease the risk associated with skin testing and immunotherapy. Electronic programs further help to decreasing errors by practice standardization, charting and obliged queries. [b]Methods:[/b] Computerized immunotherapy with personalized scan cards was instituted in the spring of 2005. After the patient’s card is scanned, the immunotherapy records are visualized along with the patient’s picture. A printed label on each vial allows the scanner to verify that the vial is the appropriate strength for that specific individual. The electronic program shows the previous dose and how long ago it was given. It then prompts for the next scheduled dose to be given. All adverse reactions from previous injections are highlighted in red. After the injection is given, a built-in timer monitors the amount of time the patient was observed before charting the results. The program prompts for peak flow and designates peak flow values to hold immunotherapy. [b]Results:[/b] On past review the literature of immunotherapy, most errors are clerical due to inappropriate doses or to patients receiving incorrect extracts. Each error is addressed with the electronic immunotherapy program, therefore decreasing the risk associated with immunotherapy. Electronic immunotherapy has been effective in our office on improving quality of care. [b]Conclusion:[/b] With the help of an electronic program and using the “Five Rights” (right medication, right dose, right time, right route and right patient) immunotherapy administration is now safer.