New research examined how prepared dental teams are to handle a patient with anaphylaxis. You won't believe the results. Before you read the paper, remember that anaphylaxis is a "3-minutes-to-live" emergency.
If not treated IMMEDIATELY and CORRECTLY your patient has about 180 seconds before a potential catastrophe. 180 seconds that will define your career. But, based on the research, many careers are at risk. First, 55% of the dentists involved in the research said they could properly manage anaphylaxis. However, researchers discovered that:
Only 60% of dentists correctly knew that Epinephrine was the first-line treatment drug for anaphylaxis (32% of dentists selected Antihistamines and Corticosteroids)
86% DID NOT KNOW the appropriate dose to administer for anaphylaxis
60% DID NOT KNOW the appropriate administration routes
73% DID NOT KNOW the proper usage of an autoinjector
40% did NOT have epinephrine in their office
Anaphylaxis is one of the four most common dental office patient emergencies... so it's only a matter of time before you have this emergency in your office.
Based on the research, the odds are that you are NOT PREPARED.
It doesn't have to be this way
You could easily ALWAYS be prepared with a Quick Reference Checklist (QRC) for Anaphylaxis that contains all of the needed actions, medications, and emergency equipment laid out for you in an easy-to-read format for ready chair-side reference. Our QRC for Anaphylaxis is a cognitive aid that would remind you...
That Epinephrine was the first-line treatment drug for anaphylaxis
Of the appropriate dose to administer for anaphylaxis
Of the appropriate administration routes
To have epinephrine in your office (if you used the QRC during your mock medical emergency drills)
After you see one of these Quick Reference Checklists, you'll wonder how you ever thought you'd be totally prepared for an emergency without them. Get a free sample of a Quick Reference Checklist here. We have 24 Quick Reference Checklists for the most common dental office emergencies, including Anaphylaxis... ...you can get all of them here. Our QRCs are compact, accessible, and loaded with expert medical wisdom, academic research, and practical, simulation-tested protocols. Each QRC is 9'' X 12", laminated, produced with LARGE fonts - readable during an emergency - and contains all of the clinical information you need to expertly handle ANY likely patient emergency. Get your own set of QRCs here. (Less than $6 per checklist)
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