15 Nov Pharmacy Students Can Help Identify Patients Who Are Truly Penicillin Allergic

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Bland

Christopher M. Bland, Pharm.D., FCCP, FIDSA, BCPS
Clinical Associate Professor
Clinical and Administrative Pharmacy
University of Georgia College of Pharmacy
Clinical Pharmacy Specialist
St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System
Savannah, GA

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: Nearly 10% of the United States population self-report a penicillin allergy. However 90% of these allergies are found to be false upon reconciliation which includes patient interview, graded challenge, direct challenge, or penicillin skin testing. This is crucial as patients labeled with a penicillin allergy often receive more expensive antibiotics that additionally cause more adverse effects. While reconciling penicillin allergies is an important antimicrobial stewardship goal, resources are often limited in various healthcare settings to accomplish several of these endeavors.

Our study evaluated the use of pharmacy students to serve as patient interviewers to aid in reconciling penicillin allergies.

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?

Response: We found that when pharmacy students are initially trained by an infectious diseases pharmacist to perform penicillin allergy reconciliation via patient interview using a questionnaire, students were effective in multiple aspects of penicillin allergy reconciliation including identifying improper allergy.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: Even in resource limited institutions, pharmacy students are an excellent and effective way to reconcile penicillin allergies. In fact, 20% of patients interviewed were found not to have a true allergy (often a side effect or attributed falsely to family member) and were removed from the medical record.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?

Response: The long term benefit of de-labeling patients using trainees is not well studied. We know from other studies that the initial de-labeling of penicillin allergies often will reappear on the medical record when someone mistakenly adds it back. Future research regarding effectiveness of educational initiatives to various healthcare providers is warranted. 

MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Response: I would like to thank especially two of our UGA College of Pharmacy students (Kelly Gamble and Summer Sizemore) for their work on this research. Additionally I would like to thank Bruce Jones, infectious diseases pharmacist at St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System for his partnership and expertise in this research. I have received grant funding from ALK Abello, maker of a commercial penicillin skin test.

Citation:

The Impact of Pharmacy Students Performing Penicillin Allergy Reconciliation in a Community Health System
https://academic.oup.com/ofid/article/6/Supplement_2/S351/5606223

Last Modified: [last-modified]

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Last Updated on November 15, 2019 by Marie Benz MD FAAD