How Can Antibiotic Allergies Affect Stewardship

Emily Heil, PharmD, BCPS-AQ ID, assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, and Contagion^® Editorial Advisory Board Member, discusses how antibiotic allergies can affect stewardship.

Interview Transcript (slightly modified for readability

“Allergies as [they] relate to stewardship is another really important area for stewardship programs to intervene on. Antibiotic allergies are not benign, and having an antibiotic allergy label on a patient chart can really change how a patient is treated.

There’s data that patients that report penicillin allergies receive less-ideal antibiotic therapy, and have less-than-optimal outcomes, compared to their counterparts that do not report a penicillin allergy.

Good documentation of allergy histories, considering things like penicillin skin testing to rule out allergies or graded challenges of antibiotics are ways that stewardship teams can optimize antimicrobial therapy in patients that do report allergies.

So, allergies should definitely be considered as a potential intervention for stewardship programs.”