What is the ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis?
ASCIA (The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy) is the peak body for doctors specialising in anaphylaxis (severe allergies). The organisation’s Action Plan for Anaphylaxis is designed to help people with no medical training provide first aid treatment following a severe allergic reaction.
The idea is to keep your action plan with your auto-injectors, so people who come to your aid know what to do if they need to administer EpiPen® or EpiPen® Jr.
Keeping your plan up to date
Your action plan should be reviewed each time you meet with your doctor to renew your EpiPen® prescription. Action plans completed before 2018 should no longer be used.
It’s a medical document
An anaphylaxis action plan is a medical document and must be filled in and dated by a doctor or nurse practitioner.
The one-page plan contains the following:
- Your picture, so you can be recognised in an emergency.
- Details of your emergency contacts.
- A list of your allergies.
- A step-by-step guide on how to administer anaphylaxis first aid. Remember that action plans are device specific. An EpiPen® action plan will be given with an EpiPen® prescription. A prescription for a different device will require a different action plan.
Although the ASCIA Action Plan states that it is copyrighted, you can make as many copies of your plan as you need, preferably in colour.
EPI-2023-0168. May 2023.
