The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 271 No 7279 p803
13 December 2003

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GPs cannot use adrenaline devices

Most patients with a diagnosis of anaphylaxis do not know how and when to use auto-injecting adrenaline, and neither do their general practitioners (BMJ 2003;327:1328).

Researchers assessed the knowledge of 60 patients (or their parents) and found that less than a third had adequate knowledge. Of 50 GPs interviewed, only one could demonstrate how to use an unloaded training device (and this was because of a personal history of anaphylaxis).