The feasibility of an allergy management support system (AMSS) for IgE-mediated allergy in primary care.

BACKGROUND: The allergy management support system (AMSS) was developed to assist general practitioners (GPs) to handle the increasing burden of allergic diseases and facilitates the diagnosis and management of allergy. The aim of this cluster-randomized controlled pilot study was to test the feasibility of this AMSS for primary care. METHODS: GPs received diagnostic and management recommendations generated by the AMSS in addition to sIgE-test results (intervention) or GPs received sIgE-test results only (control). The AMSS recommendations are based on the previously developed patient-completed AMSS questionnaire and sIgE-test results. The AMSS was considered feasible when > 70% of the AMSS recommendations were sent to the GP within ten working days of sIgE-testing. GPs completed a questionnaire on their diagnosis and management before (T1) and after (T2) receiving sIgE test results. Agreement and disagreement concerning diagnosis, medication and referrals between GPs and AMSS was investigated at T1 and T2. A total agreement score between GPs and AMSS was calculated. GPs in the intervention group completed a questionnaire to evaluate the utility of the AMSS. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore the motivation of GPs who did not include patients in this pilot study. RESULTS: Twenty-seven GPs included 101 patients. Forty-two patients (72%) completed the AMSS questionnaire in the intervention group. The majority of the AMSS recommendations (93%) were returned to the GP within 10 working days after sIgE-test results were known [mean (SD) 4.7 (4.0) working days]. GPs in the intervention group reported largely following the AMSS recommendations in 71% of cases. The total agreement scores concerning diagnosis were significantly higher (p < 0.001) in the intervention group than the control group [mean (SD); 0.9 (1.8) vs - 0.8 (1.0)]. The agreement concerning medication or referral between GPs and AMSS did not differ between the intervention and the control group. GPs in the intervention group were reasonably positive about the AMSS. Not enrolling patients was not caused by anticipated ineffectiveness of the AMSS. CONCLUSION: The AMSS can be considered to be feasible for primary care. GPs tend to follow the AMSS recommendations. The AMSS may contribute to the empowerment of GPs to better manage allergy patients in primary care.Trial registration ISRCTN ISRCTN36780877. Registered 23 November 2017 (retrospectively registered).

Development of an allergy management support system in primary care.

BACKGROUND: Management of allergic patients in the population is becoming more difficult because of increases in both complexity and prevalence. Although general practitioners (GPs) are expected to play an important role in the care of allergic patients, they often feel ill-equipped for this task. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop an allergy management support system (AMSS) for primary care. METHODS: Through literature review, interviewing and testing in secondary and primary care patients, an allergy history questionnaire was constructed by allergists, dermatologists, GPs and researchers based on primary care and specialists' allergy guidelines and their clinical knowledge. Patterns of AMSS questionnaire responses and specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE)-test outcomes were used to identify diagnostic categories and develop corresponding management recommendations. Validity of the AMSS was investigated by comparing specialist (gold standard) and AMSS diagnostic categories. RESULTS: The two-page patient-completed AMSS questionnaire consists of 12 (mainly) multiple choice questions on symptoms, triggers, severity and medication. Based on the AMSS questionnaires and sIgE-test outcome of 118 patients, approximately 150 diagnostic categories of allergic rhinitis, asthma, atopic dermatitis, anaphylaxis, food allergy, hymenoptera allergy and other allergies were identified, and the corresponding management recommendations were formulated. The agreement between the allergy specialists' assessments and the AMSS was 69.2% (CI 67.2-71.2). CONCLUSION: Using a systematic approach, it was possible to develop an AMSS that allows for the formulation of diagnostic and management recommendations for GPs managing allergic patients. The AMSS thus holds promise for the improvement of the quality of primary care for this increasing group of patients.

Food allergy and quality of life: what have we learned?

Health-related quality of life (HRQL) has become an emerging focus of interest in food allergy. Food allergy is a disease characterized by low mortality and symptoms which only occur during an allergic reaction. However, food-allergic patients continuously need to be alert when eating in order to prevent potentially severe allergic reactions, which may be fatal. Fear of such reactions and the need to be continuously vigilant may seriously compromise their HRQL. During the last decade, numerous studies have been published on food allergy and HRQL. The development of reliable, valid and responsive instruments for measuring HRQL in food allergic patients has facilitated this research even further. Such instruments have given insight into the specific problems a patient may face and the impact of food allergy-related interventions from the patient's perspective. This paper focuses on the most significant findings regarding this topic since its first appearance in the literature in 2000.

Food allergy-related quality of life after double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenges in adults, adolescents, and children.

BACKGROUND: Currently, the longitudinal validity (validity over time) and responsiveness (ability to measure change over time) of the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire-Adult Form (FAQLQ-AF), the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire-Teenager Form (FAQLQ-TF), and the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire-Child Form (FAQLQ-CF) are unknown. Additionally, the self-reported impact of a double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC) on health-related quality of life (HRQL) in adults (≥18 years of age), adolescents (13-17 years of age), and children (8-12 years of age) is unknown. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to assess the longitudinal validity and responsiveness of the FAQLQ-AF, FAQLQ-TF, and FAQLQ-CF and to assess the impact of a DBPCFC on HRQL. METHODS: Two hundred twenty-one participants suspected of food allergy were included from Dutch allergy centers. Participants undergoing a DBPCFC (experimental group) completed the FAQLQ and Food Allergy Independent Measure (FAIM) 1 month before (baseline) and 6 months after (follow-up) a DBPCFC. Participants not undergoing a DBPCFC (control group) completed the questionnaire package twice with a 7-month interval. RESULTS: HRQL scores improved after a DBPCFC, with greater improvements in HRQL scores after a negative outcome (food allergy ruled out) than a positive outcome (food allergy confirmed), demonstrating responsiveness of the FAQLQs. Significant correlations were shown between the change (follow-up minus baseline) in FAQLQ and FAIM scores supporting longitudinal validity of these questionnaires: FAQLQ-AF (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.71, P < .001), FAQLQ-TF (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.35, P = .018), and FAQLQ-CF (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.51, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate the longitudinal validity and responsiveness of the FAQLQs. Greater improvements in HRQL scores were shown after a negative outcome than after a positive outcome.

Test-retest reliability of the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaires (FAQLQ) for children, adolescents and adults.

OBJECTIVE: The self-administered Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire-Child Form (FAQLQ-CF), -Teenager Form (FAQLQ-TF) and -Adult Form (FAQLQ-AF) were recently developed within EuroPrevall, a multi-centred study of food allergy in Europe. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the test-retest reliability of the FAQLQ-CF, -TF and -AF. METHODS: One hundred and one Dutch patients (31 children, 34 adolescents and 36 adults) completed the FAQLQ twice with a 10-14 day interval. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Lin's concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) and Bland-Altman plots were used to assess test-retest reliability. RESULTS: Test-retest reliability was excellent with ICCs and CCCs above 0.907, 0.975 and 0.951 for the FAQLQ-CF, -TF and -AF, respectively. Bland-Altman plots showed that the mean differences of the test and re-test were all close to zero for the FAQLQs. CONCLUSIONS: The FAQLQs are reliable over a short time interval. The FAQLQs are not only excellent tools for group comparison studies, but also for monitoring individual patients.