Implementation of a Standardized Clinical Assessment and Management Plan (SCAMP) for Food Challenges.

BACKGROUND: Oral food challenges (OFCs) are routinely used to confirm ongoing food allergy. Serum-specific IgE (sIgE) and skin prick testing (SPT) are imperfect predictors of which patients will pass OFCs.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe the design and implementation of a Standardized Clinical Assessment and Management Plan (SCAMP) to study and iteratively improve sIgE and SPT thresholds to determine when and where to conduct OFCs for patients.

METHODS: Allergists consulted recommended sIgE and SPT thresholds when ordering challenges although diversions were permitted. Criteria were iteratively improved after periodic analyses of challenge outcome and diversions.

RESULTS: Over 3 years, allergists ordered 2368 food challenges for 1580 patients with histories of IgE-mediated reactions to food: 1386 in an outpatient clinic and 945 in a higher resource infusion center. Reactions to challenge were observed in 13% of clinic and 23% of infusion center challenges. Six patients challenged in clinic required treatment with epinephrine compared with 22 in the infusion center. The need for epinephrine was more common in patients with asthma-5% of asthmatic patients required epinephrine compared with 1% of nonasthmatic patients (P < .01). Recommended sIgE and SPT thresholds were incrementally changed and, using the control chart methodology, a significant decrease was noted in the proportion of challenges ordered in the higher resource location.

CONCLUSIONS: By setting and continually refining sIgE and SPT recommendations using the SCAMP method, allergists can better determine the risk of severe reaction and triage patients to the appropriate setting for an OFC.