Acute Care Beta-Lactam Allergy Pathways: Approaches and Outcomes

Penicillin allergy is the most commonly reported drug allergy. While 10% of patients report a penicillin allergy, up to 15% of hospitalized patients report a penicillin allergy.1-3 Given that 90-95% of patients with a reported penicillin allergy tolerate penicillin,4 hospitalized patients with infections often unnecessarily avoid penicillins and other beta-lactams, such as the cephalosporins. Reporting a history of penicillin allergy can result in the choice of a clinically-inferior antibiotic5,6 and lead to more adverse effects.
Source: Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Tags: CME Reviews Source Type: research