Food Allergy Policy

[carbaminohemoglobin]

I have a new pt with an allergy to eggs. On a couple of occasions, I noticed the kitchen at my LTC job served her food with eggs/egg products. On another occasion, she had to ask if there were eggs in a certain dessert. When I approached the dietary staff, they shrugged and said "I don't think so. It's probably okay." I pressed for a more definitive answer and found eggs were an ingredient in the dish. Can you say... Scary?!

What food allergy policies do you guys have in place? I'm trying to think of suggestions to present to my DON to change this risky behavior.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

At every LTC facility where I have ever worked, a licensed nurse is supposed to check all trays before they are passed out to residents. This is to ensure that the resident is getting the proper texture (puree instead of regular) and to make sure that the resident is not receiving food items to which they are allergic.

Since the kitchen staff members generally do not suffer consequences for any goof-ups with the meal trays, the licensed person who checks the trays is the safeguard.

[AngelicDarkness]

All food allergies go through the nursing department and food department from the managers. They seemed to take it seriously at my previous employment because allergies were posted on the door for the servers to see on the way out to the dining rooms.

Because egg allergies are getting more common, I would approach the DOC with my concern if I was in the same situation.