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Best practice resources funded by the
Australian Government Department of Health.

Hospital

  • Before going into hospital make sure you or your child’s My Health Record is up to date with your allergy information. 

    • You can ask your GP to upload a Shared Health Summary to My Health Record with your allergy information, and add allergy information yourself.

For more information visit:  People with an allergy and their carers

  • When going into hospital tell hospital nursing staff and food service staff about your food allergy and ask questions just as you would at a restaurant or café.

    Some questions you might ask include:

    • How does the hospital identify patients with food allergy?

    • What procedures are in place to provide appropriate meals for patients with food allergy?

    • Where is the food prepared, how is it labelled, are ingredients listed and who checks it at the bedside?

    • Can the hospital cater for your food allergy or do you need to bring your own food?

    • What is the hospital policy about bringing food from home?

    • If you do bring food into the hospital, where can it be stored and is there a way to heat it?

Travel
Travel

Take your adrenaline (epinephrine) injectors

  • Make sure you take your adrenaline (epinephrine) injectors with you to hospital. Tell the doctors and nurses that you have them with you.

    They must be always easy to access, not locked at the nurse’s station. If they are not kept at the patient’s bedside, all staff must be aware of where the adrenaline injectors and ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis are.

EpiPen®

Travel

Anapen®

Travel

What you can ask

  • Ask staff how to call for urgent help.

  • Ask staff what happens if adults with food allergy are impaired. For example when drowsy after surgery or affected by pain relief medication, how will their food allergy and meals be communicated?

  • If your child is admitted, plan who is going to check that their meal is appropriate. Check who will supervise meals.

  • If your child has to share a room, make sure patients, parents or carers and visitors are told about your child’s food allergy and the importance of not sharing food.

  • All about Allergens for Hospitals online training has been developed to help hospital staff provide safe meals to patients with food allergies. Ask if the staff of the hospital have done the training.

Further information about staying in hospital

Content created May 2024