Risky business? Whether a more accurate picture of risk assessment in food allergic children and young people affects behaviours in school nurses and school first aiders

Background The risk of fatal anaphylaxis in a food allergic person is very low, yet the possibility of this catastrophic event is a major focus for both patients and healthcare professionals. It is unclear how healthcare professionals perceive risk of fatal or non-fatal anaphylaxis in the context of food allergy, and whether their perception of risk influences their management of food allergy. We investigated whether school nurses/first aiders could accurately estimate fatal anaphylaxis risk in children/young people with food allergy, and whether their assessment of risk correlated with their knowledge and management of food allergy in children/young people.