Abstract
A questionnaire survey was conducted for 20 pediatric facilities in Hiroshima prefecture where the Oral Food Challenge Test (OFC) is carried out, regarding the actual methods used to implement the OFC (survey conducted Feb-Mar, 2012, with a collection rate of 83.3%). The results were that OFC was implemented using an open method, mainly with the objective of ascertaining tolerance, and the challenge foods were brought in by parents, the implementation foods (foods used) were mostly egg (hard-boiled egg), milk (raw milk) and wheat (fresh udon), and the food challenge was carried out at 15-30 minutes intervals, 3-5 times for outpatients and 6-10 times for hospitalized patients. The increase in sample weight was by means of increasing the weight of the previous challenge by 100% at a time, and the infusion pathway was prepared, depending on the case, with most cases involving observation by 1 doctor and 1 nurse. In the past year, the critical evoked responses in OFC were few, with the total number of cases being 7.2%, and there were no facilities that had to struggle to handle critical evoked responses. Among the 20 facilities, at 15 facilities, there were cases where OFC medical fees could not be charged, the reasons given by many facilities being limits on age and the number of visits for insurance assessment purposes.