The journal Archives of Disease in Childhood has recently published a supplement containing a series of articles focused on developing care pathways for children with allergies. The articles represent an attempt by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) Science and Research Department to develop national care pathways for these children, as requested by the UK Department of Health. The articles each focus on a different condition:
- Anaphylaxis
- Asthma and/or rhinitis
- Drug allergies
- Eczema
- Food allergy
- Latex allergies
- Urticaria, angioedema, or mastocytosis
- Venom allergies
Each article presents a pathway algorithm and a set of competences that are required to deliver high-quality care. They are intended as “a guide for training and development of services to facilitate improvements in delivery as close to the patient's home as possible.” The authors note that the pathways should be implemented by a multidisciplinary team, at a local level, and with an eye to establishing connections between primary, secondary, and tertiary care.
