The Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (CSACI) is currently developing Canadian clinical practice guideline (CPGs) on the treatment of IgE-mediated food allergies with oral immunotherapy. This project is managed by an executive committee appointed by the CSACI with the methodological support of Quebec’s National Institute of Excellence in Health and Social Services (INESSS) as well as the Health Technology Assessment unit of the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center.

The objective of the CPGs will be to inform health professionals on the clinical, populational, economic, organisational, and socio-political aspects of oral immunotherapy for IgE-mediated food allergy and to provide guidance for the safe, effective and efficient provision of oral immunotherapy in Canadian clinical practice.

The guidelines will focus on patients affected with IgE-mediated allergies against eggs, peanuts, milk, wheat, soy, tree nuts, or other food allergens. Oral immunotherapy consists of two phases. The initial build-up phase begins with the daily ingestion of a precisely measured quantity of food allergen(s) below the threshold at which the patient reacts, followed by biweekly visits in clinic to increase this dose under medical supervision. Once a target daily portion of the food is achieved, this dose must be eaten regularly to maintain desensitization (maintenance phase). Treatment goals need to be individualized, ranging from protection from accidental exposures to complete reintegration of food allergens in the diet and, possibly in some cases sustained clinical remission of the allergy.

If you are a family physician, pediatrician, nurse, nutritionist/dietitian, psychologist or peer supporter of patients with food allergies, we would like to invite you to share your experiences and perspective, whether or not you have already been involved in providing care for patients receiving oral immunotherapy. Your knowledge is important to us in order to better understand the context and situation of health professionals who care for patients with food allergies. Through your participation, you will make a significant contribution to the clinical practice guidelines we are developing.

If you are interested, please complete the following 5-minute questionnaire here. This preliminary data will allow us to ensure diversity and representativeness of the persons we are consulting. Note that therefore not all persons who have completed this questionnaire will necessarily be contacted.This preliminary data will allow us to ensure diversity and representativeness of the persons we are consulting. Note that therefore not all persons who have completed this questionnaire will necessarily be contacted.

The deadline to respond to this invitation is Friday, September 13, 2019.

La Société canadienne d'allergie et d'immunologie clinique (SCAIC) élabore actuellement des lignes directrices de pratique clinique canadiennes sur le traitement par immunothérapie orale des allergies alimentaires médiées par les IgE. Ce projet est géré par un comité exécutif nommé par le SCAIC avec le soutien méthodologique de l'Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux du Québec (INESSS) ainsi que de l'Unité d'évaluation des technologies de la santé du Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine.