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Home > FreshRN > Allergy Assessment for Nurses: True Allergy vs Sensitivity, IgE Testing, and Safer Care
Podcast: FreshRN
Episode:

Allergy Assessment for Nurses: True Allergy vs Sensitivity, IgE Testing, and Safer Care
Category: Science & Medicine
Duration: 00:34:34
Publish Date: 2025-12-04 10:00:00
Description:

New nurses are often handed a long "allergy list" and five minutes to make sense of it. In this episode, Kati Kleber talks with Sophia L. Thomas, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, PPCNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, former President of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and NP at DePaul Community Health Centers, about how to take a focused allergy history that actually improves patient care.

What you'll learn:

A fast framework to separate side effect vs intolerance vs sensitivity vs true allergy

The exact questions to verify things like "penicillin allergy" and when to consider delabeling

How and when to use allergen-specific IgE blood testing (no antihistamine washout)

High-impact pitfalls: alpha-gal syndrome and heparin; birch–apple cross-reactivity

Documentation that helps providers choose safer meds and diets

When to loop in pharmacy/allergy, and what to tell families about prevention

This episode is great info for new grads, med-surg, ICU/ED, primary care, school nurses, and anyone updating intake workflows.

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