Strategies for reducing errors in the care of patients with anaphylaxis

Abstract

Anaphylaxis is a severe and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction, requiring immediate and precise medical intervention. It is essential that nursing professionals, often the first point of contact in emergency situations, master the management of anaphylaxis. Failures in care, ranging from delayed recognition to incorrect medication administration, can have critical consequences. This study aims to identify, through a literature review, the most efficient nursing interventions to significantly reduce these errors and, consequently, improve clinical outcomes. This research uses an integrative literature review, which compiled and examined relevant scientific articles. The search was conducted in specialized databases (LILACS, MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus), using the descriptors: Anaphylaxis, Epinephrine, Simulation, Patient Safety, and Nursing, linked by the Boolean operator AND. The findings indicated an alarming prevalence of procedural failures, highlighting delays in the application of epinephrine (25% of errors) and deficiencies in diagnosis (15%) as the main obstacles to safety. In response, the research validated four crucial and proven effective strategic pillars for mitigating errors: Continuous Education and Training; Standardization of Protocols; Training through Realistic Simulation; and Optimization of Multiprofessional Communication. The study reinforces that optimizing nursing procedures in the treatment of anaphylaxis is a matter of survival and an ethical and clinical imperative. It contributes by consolidating these four strategic axes, aligned with best practices, and recommends the immediate application of pre-dosed Anaphylaxis kits and the execution of in situ simulation in Brazilian clinical settings to reduce failures and promote safety.