The Penicillin Allergy Delabeling Program: A Multicenter Whole-of-Hospital Health Services Intervention and Comparative Effectiveness Study
- Author(s)
- Chua, KYL; Vogrin, S; Bury, S; Douglas, A; Holmes, NE; Tan, N; Brusco, NK; Hall, R; Lambros, B; Lean, J; Stevenson, W; Devchand, M; Garrett, K; Thursky, K; Grayson, ML; Slavin, MA; Phillips, EJ; Trubiano, JA;
- Details
- Publication Year 2021-08,Volume 73,Issue #3,Page 487-496
- Journal Title
- Clinical Infectious Diseases
- Publication Type
- Research article
- Abstract
- BACKGROUND: Penicillin allergies are associated with inferior patient and antimicrobial stewardship outcomes. We implemented a whole-of-hospital program to assess the efficacy of inpatient delabeling for low-risk penicillin allergies in hospitalized inpatients. METHODS: Patients >/= 18 years of age with a low-risk penicillin allergy were offered a single-dose oral penicillin challenge or direct label removal based on history (direct delabeling). The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients delabeled. Key secondary endpoints were antibiotic utilization pre- (index admission) and post-delabeling (index admission and 90 days). RESULTS: Between 21 January 2019 and 31 August 2019, we assessed 1791 patients reporting 2315 antibiotic allergies, 1225 with a penicillin allergy. Three hundred fifty-five patients were delabeled: 161 by direct delabeling and 194 via oral penicillin challenge. Ninety-seven percent (194/200) of patients were negative upon oral penicillin challenge. In the delabeled patients, we observed an increase in narrow-spectrum penicillin usage (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 10.51 [95% confidence interval CI, 5.39-20.48]), improved appropriate antibiotic prescribing (adjusted OR, 2.13 [95% CI, 1.45-3.13]), and a reduction in restricted antibiotic usage (adjusted OR, 0.38 [95% CI, .27-.54]). In the propensity score analysis, there was an increase in narrow-spectrum penicillins (OR, 10.89 [95% CI, 5.09-23.31]) and beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitors (OR, 6.68 [95% CI, 3.94-11.35]) and a reduction in restricted antibiotic use (OR, 0.52 [95% CI, .36-.74]) and inappropriate prescriptions (relative risk ratio, 0.43 [95% CI, .26-.72]) in the delabeled group compared with the group who retained their allergy label. CONCLUSIONS: This health services program using a combination of direct delabeling and oral penicillin challenge resulted in significant impacts on the use of preferred antibiotics and appropriate prescribing.
- Keywords
- Anti-Bacterial Agents/adverse effects; *Antimicrobial Stewardship; *Drug Hypersensitivity; Hospitals; Humans; Inappropriate Prescribing; Penicillins/adverse effects
- Department(s)
- Infectious Diseases; Health Services Research
- PubMed ID
- 32756983
- Publisher's Version
- https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa653
- Terms of Use/Rights Notice
- Refer to copyright notice on published article.
Creation Date: 2025-06-20 08:03:24
Last Modified: 2025-06-20 08:04:25