PatientAllergen

Reference data entity defining allergen substances that can trigger allergic reactions in patients. Used by PatientAllergy to specify what substance a patient is allergic to.

Overview

PatientAllergen serves as a standardized catalog of allergenic substances across healthcare systems. By maintaining a consistent reference list, healthcare providers can accurately document, communicate, and check for patient allergies. Each allergen is identified by a unique code, categorized by type, and includes descriptive information for clinical context.

Key Concepts

Allergen Identification

Each allergen has standardized identification:

code - Unique identifier (e.g., "PENICILLIN", "PEANUTS") used for system lookups and allergy checking
label - Human-readable name displayed in clinical interfaces
description - Additional context about the allergen

Allergen Categories

The category field groups allergens by source:

Medication Allergens

Antibiotics (penicillin, sulfa drugs)
NSAIDs (aspirin, ibuprofen)
Contrast agents
Anesthetics

Food Allergens

Tree nuts and peanuts
Shellfish and fish
Dairy and eggs
Wheat and gluten
Soy

Environmental Allergens

Pollen (grass, tree, weed)
Dust mites
Mold spores
Pet dander

Biological Allergens

Insect venom (bee, wasp)
Animal proteins
Vaccines components

Chemical Allergens

Latex
Preservatives
Dyes and fragrances
Cleaning agents

Use Cases

Medication Prescribing

Before prescribing medications:

Query patient's allergies from PatientAllergy
Check if prescribed medication matches any PatientAllergen codes
Alert prescriber if potential allergy conflict
Document override if prescriber proceeds despite warning

Surgical Preparation

When preparing for surgery:

Review patient's allergen list
Check for latex allergy (use latex-free gloves)
Verify no allergies to planned anesthetics
Ensure contrast agents are safe for imaging

Hospital Meal Planning

For inpatient dietary services:

Query food-category allergens for patient
Flag meals containing allergenic ingredients
Substitute safe alternatives
Label trays with allergy warnings

Allergy Testing

When performing allergy testing:

Select relevant allergens from reference catalog
Document test results in PatientAllergy
Add confirmed allergens to patient record
Update reaction severity based on test results

Related Entities

Entity	Relationship	Description
PatientAllergy	Referenced by	Patient-specific allergy records that reference this allergen

Enums

Value	Description
`medication`	Drugs and pharmaceutical substances (antibiotics, NSAIDs, contrast agents)
`food`	Food and food-derived substances (nuts, shellfish, dairy, eggs)
`environmental`	Airborne and seasonal allergens (pollen, dust, mold, pet dander)
`biological`	Living organism-derived allergens (insect venom, animal proteins)
`chemical`	Synthetic and industrial substances (latex, preservatives, dyes)
`other`	Allergens not fitting other categories

Properties

Property	Type	Mode	Description	Required
code	string	stored	Unique code identifying the allergen Example: `"PENICILLIN"`	Required
label	string	stored	Human-readable name of the allergen Example: `"Penicillin"`	Required
category	string	stored	Category of the allergen Values: `medication, food, environmental, biological, chemical, other` Example: `"medication"`	Required
description	string	stored	Additional details about the allergen	Optional

Examples

Example 1

{
  "@type": "PatientAllergen",
  "code": "PENICILLIN",
  "label": "Penicillin",
  "category": "medication",
  "description": "Antibiotic medication"
}

Example 2

{
  "@type": "PatientAllergen",
  "code": "PEANUTS",
  "label": "Peanuts",
  "category": "food",
  "description": "Tree nut allergen"
}

Example 3

{
  "@type": "PatientAllergen",
  "code": "POLLEN",
  "label": "Pollen",
  "category": "environmental",
  "description": "Seasonal environmental allergen"
}

Example 4

{
  "@type": "PatientAllergen",
  "code": "LATEX",
  "label": "Latex",
  "category": "chemical",
  "description": "Natural rubber latex"
}

Example 5

{
  "@type": "PatientAllergen",
  "code": "SHELLFISH",
  "label": "Shellfish",
  "category": "food",
  "description": "Crustaceans and mollusks"
}