Key takeaways:
- Stocking epinephrine was the most cost effective and most cost-effective technique for many summer season camps.
- In smaller camps and camps with few kids with meals allergic reactions, individually offered epinephrine was most popular.
Stocking unassigned epinephrine seems to be essentially the most cost-effective technique for treating anaphylaxis at summer season camps, in accordance with an evaluation printed in Pediatrics.
“The key query of this research is: Is it cost-effective for our society to have inventory, unassigned epinephrine for remedy of anaphylaxis accessible at our summer season camps?” Kathleen A. Noorbakhsh, MD, MS, an affiliate professor of emergency medication on the College of Virginia, instructed Healio. “Our research exhibits that there are eventualities the place it’s.”
Knowledge derived from Bunke C, et al. Pediatrics. 2025;doi:10.1542/peds.2024-068960.
Inventory epinephrine autoinjectors have gotten extra frequent in public faculties, and Noorbakhsh and colleagues estimated that 30% to 50% of U.S. summer season camps inventory epinephrine autoinjectors that aren’t assigned to particular campers. Noorbakhsh famous that there isn’t any customary follow for summer season camps within the U.S., so sources and coaching could fluctuate from camp to camp.
The researchers simulated the prices of 4 totally different methods for supplying epinephrine at summer season camps with a hypothetical group of 10,000 kids. The methods included individually offered epinephrine; stocking two twin packs of epinephrine autoinjectors; combining these two methods; and present follow, during which a proportion of camps stocked epinephrine whereas others requested campers to deliver their very own. Within the simulation, the researchers assumed each occasion of anaphylaxis was adopted up with a go to to a close-by ED.
The first outcomes the researchers in contrast for every technique had been general price, quality-adjusted life-days gained and cost-effectiveness.
Total, the inventory epinephrine state of affairs was the most cost effective and simplest ($4.33 per camper; 69.9998 QALDs gained per particular person), Noorbakhsh and colleagues reported. Stocking unassigned epinephrine plus offering particular person epinephrine and present follow led to the identical QALDs gained per particular person, however each had been greater than twice as costly ($10.81 and $10.50, respectively). Campers supplying their very own epinephrine was costlier than stocking unassigned epinephrine and barely much less efficient, in accordance with the researchers ($10.17; 69.9997 QALDs gained).
The researchers identified that stocking unassigned epinephrine was the popular technique in 99% of sensitivity analyses, though individually offered epinephrine was essentially the most cost-effective technique for camps with fewer than 100 campers per week and in cases the place fewer than 0.4% of campers had IgE-mediated meals allergic reactions — 5 instances decrease than base estimates of two.5%.
“For bigger camps, camps with larger prevalence of meals allergy amongst their campers and camps who can receive or present epinephrine at a decrease price, it’s helpful,” Noorbakhsh stated. “I feel it is very important contemplate what sort of assist and sources can be found for summer season camps — from academic sources in order that camp workers can acknowledge the signs of anaphylaxis (to) legislative assist for camps which are within the place of offering this life-saving remedy.”
Noorbakhsh and colleagues added that the epinephrine dialogue is much like these about putting in automated exterior defibrillators, which the AAP recommends in all summer season camps.
“With an preliminary price of $2,000 to $4,000, annual upkeep of $80 to $350 and an 8-year expiration, prices are much like the price of stocking two epinephrine autoinjector twin packs yearly,” they wrote. “In each circumstances, tools is acquired prematurely to handle low-frequency, high-risk treatable emergencies.”
For extra data:
Kathleen A. Noorbakhsh, MD, MS, will be reached at kam4rf@uvahealth.org.
