You are NOT allergic to...

[BuckyBadgerRN]

So we are switching to a new computer system at work. Not everything will carry over and we have to do some manual entry of certain things. Allergies is one of the items that falls onto that list. We are able to print out that info from the old system so we can put in onto the new, so the information has all been verified at some point by nursing staff or physicians. Which also means at one point it was all ENTERED by someone with a license or someone who is supposed to have enough medical knowledge to do such things.

Some of the "allergies" (complete with reaction, since it's a required field):

Nitroglycerin---"it makes my ears ring"

Tetnaus shot---"my arm hurts after I get one"

E-mycin---"diarrhea"

iron supplements---"makes my BM dark"

and my favorite:

Epinephrine---"makes my heart race"

Seriously?! I can shrug and say "meh" to many things, but truly?! WHY do trained professionals DO this? Go ahead and put some of these things down and attribute the poops after an ABX to a side effect, but not an ALLERGY. Yes, side effects, intolerances and allergies are all options to choose from.

I am not even entering the epinephrine "allergies", nope, not doing it.

OK, rant over

[Angelicpurl]

I always ask. No, Benadryl is supposed to make you sleepy.

Yes, Oxygen may make your nose dry but let me add humidification to see if that helps.

You're allergic to tap water...but the ice water I gave you is ok. I'm going to write that on your board.

Lasix is supposed to make you pee a bunch when I give it IV.

We have room for the comments where I work. Pharmacist is the one who deletes them if not legit. Like the Lasix makes me pee....

[NurseNHowell]

That is actually a legitimate allergy. It's aquagenic urticaria

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

That is actually a legitimate allergy. It's aquagenic urticaria

It is just like the allergy to a cold environment and there a few unfortunate that are allergic to the sun. I don't think anyone is arguing these allergies.

The person allergic to acetaminophen but can safely take Lortab, Vicodin and Percocet needs to be questioned. The person allergic to MS Contin but can have MS IR and duramoroph should be questioned. The one who can't take OxyContin but can easily take Percocet needs to be questioned because there is a disconnect.

However the person who declares them self allergic to water because they only want CocaCola is not allergic

[NurseNHowell]

Well another poster said they just delete the ridiculous allergies so there is some who argue the legitimacy of some allergies.

Mainly the nurses entering allergies that are not true allergies need to be educated as well as educate their patients

[tejon, DNP, NP]

"I'm allergic to wheat...but only that whole grain stuff. I can have white bread."

"I'm allergic to Tylenol (and Ibuprofen, and aspirin, and...and...). Norco works really well."

"Trazadone makes me sleepy."

"Lactulose gives me diarrhea."

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

Sigh, if you're responding to me as the OP, you'll see that I never REMOVE an "allergy", I will however correctly call it what it is: a side effect, intolerance or contraindication. NOONE has said an "allergy" is good enough or not to list. The gist of my rant was that an upset tummy from Tylenol or a sore arm from a tetorifice shot is NOT a true allergy.

And who ever said that nurses with allergic reactions can't be nurses? [

My next rant is going to be about posters who have no idea what reading comprehension is.....

QUOTE=NurseNHowell;8666300]You should be careful randomly deleting allergies you feel are not legitimate. Mold is not a seasonal allergy and some you delete are true allergies whether you feel they are "good enough" or not.

I have cold aquagenic urticaria that many times leads to angioedema. If I was one of those patients and you only saw "allergic to cold water" you would erase my allergy feeling it is ridiculous and not good enough but it is a legitimate allergy that if ignored I suffer excruciating side effects. I also tend to have a ridiculous amount of allergies due to my SLE & RA but it doesn't stop me from being a nurse.

It'd be better to properly educate the nurses entering ridiculous "allergies" than taking it upon yourself to decide if it is a true allergy especially since you were not present assessing them to ask them to clarify.

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

Could you link that please?

Well another poster said they just delete the ridiculous allergies so there is some who argue the legitimacy of some allergies.

Mainly the nurses entering allergies that are not true allergies need to be educated as well as educate their patients

[OneohOne]

I just learned that epi can cause sudden drops on potassium that can cause motor issues and paralysis. Not common but something to store in the back of my mind.

Made me think of how often the (usually asthmatic and female) patient with "anxiety" is suddenly "hypokalemic with chest pain" when the labs come back, and then the doctor jumps to the EKG we should have just done when she came in complaining about chest pain.

I wish we could get a CBC w Diff and Electrolyte panel on EVERYONE who comes in our doors.

[travelingrn2001, ASN, BSN]

I understand the frustration that you may have when untrained people use technical terms incorrectly. The proper documentation of allergies, who verifies the information and how incorrect information is removed is an important topic in healthcare.

How does a nurse document heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT)? It is clearly not an allergy since it is IgG mediated, not IgE like a true allergy. If the heparin is not documented as an allergy then the patient's life and limbs are at risk.

Give the patients and the professionals who have to fit them into rigid checkboxes a little patience, people may benefit from your understanding.

[sailornurse]

Or the mom who told us since SHE is allergic to med, we can't give it to her child either.

I see this repeatedly in urgent care. But since I started working with an allergist, I explain the need to find out if the child truly is or is not allergic. An oral penicillin challenge test is done.

Recently had pt that had been told since childhood he was allergic to "caines" (local anesthetic) so a caine challenge was done.

As to the pineapple allergy with tingling, that is probably a true allergy but needs to see allergist. There are also cross-sensitivities with food allergies and there is a genetic component to this.

GI symptoms can also be food allergies, or even signs of anaphylactic reactions.

[NotAllWhoWandeRN, ASN, RN]

Allergy: metoprolol.

Reaction: low blood pressure.

[NurseNHowell]

Some of the clinic staff have been entering stuff like pollen and mold in the allergy field. I always delete it and mark that the patient has seasonal allergies instead. Durrr.

No you, the OP, were not the one to write they just delete what they feel isn't an allergy. My reading and comprehension is perfectly fine, you might want to brush up on yours.

Now my computer skills at figuring forums and when someone has responded THAT i clearly need to work on

Sigh, if you're responding to me as the OP, you'll see that I never REMOVE an "allergy", I will however correctly call it what it is: a side effect, intolerance or contraindication. NOONE has said an "allergy" is good enough or not to list. The gist of my rant was that an upset tummy from Tylenol or a sore arm from a tetorifice shot is NOT a true allergy.

And who ever said that nurses with allergic reactions can't be nurses? [

My next rant is going to be about posters who have no idea what reading comprehension is.....

QUOTE=NurseNHowell;8666300]You should be careful randomly deleting allergies you feel are not legitimate. Mold is not a seasonal allergy and some you delete are true allergies whether you feel they are "good enough" or not.

I have cold aquagenic urticaria that many times leads to angioedema. If I was one of those patients and you only saw "allergic to cold water" you would erase my allergy feeling it is ridiculous and not good enough but it is a legitimate allergy that if ignored I suffer excruciating side effects. I also tend to have a ridiculous amount of allergies due to my SLE & RA but it doesn't stop me from being a nurse.

It'd be better to properly educate the nurses entering ridiculous "allergies" than taking it upon yourself to decide if it is a true allergy especially since you were not present assessing them to ask them to clarify.