new research presented<\/a> at ACAAI 2025 suggests a reluctance among obstetricians to refer their pregnant patients to allergy specialists, even when a referral could help improve care.<\/p>\nThe study surveyed obstetricians at a large academic medical center. It found that while nearly all the doctors cared for pregnant patients in both clinics and hospitals, about one in four never referred a patient to an allergist, and almost half referred only once a year.<\/p>\n
Referrals most often happened for suspected drug allergies, followed by hives (urticaria) and asthma. Many of the obstetricians surveyed said they didn\u2019t always know when to refer to a specialist, and others cited long wait times for appointments as a barrier. Most said they wanted clearer guidelines and more education about managing allergies in pregnancy.<\/p>\n
\u201cPregnancy can change how a woman\u2019s immune system reacts to allergies or asthma,\u201d said Miriam Al-Saedy, MD, Internal Medicine resident, lead author of the study and ACAAI member. \u201cAn allergist can help confirm true allergies, guide safe medication use, and create a care plan that supports both maternal and fetal health.\u201d<\/p>\n
Says allergist Kelly Colas, DO, PhD, co-author of the study and ACAAI member, \u201cIf you\u2019re pregnant and living with allergies, asthma, or a past allergic reaction to a drug, you should talk to your obstetrician about whether seeing an allergist might help.\u201d Dr. Colas says an allergist can:<\/p>\n
Confirm or rule out medication allergies\u00a0so you can safely take what you need during pregnancy.<\/p>\n
Help control asthma\u00a0to keep both you and your baby breathing easier.<\/p>\n
Manage hives, eczema, or other allergic conditions\u00a0safely with treatments appropriate for pregnancy.<\/p>\n
Work closely with your OB\u00a0to coordinate your care before, during, and after delivery.<\/p>\n
\u201cAllergy and immunology care in pregnancy is safe and can make a real difference in how women feel,\u201d said Dr. Al-Saedy. \u201cDon\u2019t hesitate to ask for a referral if you think you need one.\u201d<\/p>\n
BARRIERS TO ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY REFERRAL IN PREGNANCY: A SURVEY OF OBSTETRIC PHYSICIANS\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Al-Saedy*, K. Colas,\u00a0Seattle, WA.<\/p>\n
Introduction:\u00a0Allergic and immunologic conditions such as drug allergies, asthma, and urticaria are common during pregnancy and have implications for both maternal and fetal outcomes. Despite evidence supporting the safety and benefit of Allergy and Immunology (A\/I) consultation in pregnancy, referrals remain limited. This study aimed to assess referral practices and barriers among obstetric physicians managing pregnant patients at a large academic center.<\/p>\n
Methods:\u00a0A 20-question cross-sectional survey was distributed to obstetric attending physicians, fellows, and residents. The survey assessed physician experience, comfort managing allergic conditions, referral frequency, perceived barriers to A\/I consultation, and educational needs.<\/p>\n
Results:\u00a0Of the 27 respondents, 59.3% were attending physicians with over ten years of experience. While 92.6% practiced in both inpatient and outpatient settings, 23.1% never referred pregnant patients to A\/I, and 42.3% referred only once per year. Referral reasons included drug allergy (83.3%), urticaria (38.9%), and asthma (33.3%). Only 51.8% reported feeling completely or mostly comfortable managing drug allergies. The most frequently reported barriers were limited knowledge about referral indications (55.6%) and long wait times for appointments (44.4%). Educational interventions requested included institutional guidelines (76%), provider resources (72%), and workshops (64%).<\/p>\n
Conclusion:\u00a0Obstetric physicians infrequently refer pregnant patients to A\/I specialists due to limited knowledge and logistical barriers. These findings highlight an unmet need for quality improvement in institutional support, education, and streamlined referral pathways. Targeted educational interventions may improve physician confidence and patient access to allergy care in pregnancy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Research uncovered a reluctance among obstetricians to refer their pregnant patients to allergy specialists, even when a referral…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":119118,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[76120,43077,19350,163,85,46,76148,540],"class_list":["post-119117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-allergic-asthma","tag-allergic-rhinitis","tag-allergies","tag-health","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-pregnancy-and-prenatal-care","tag-womens-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119117\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}