A UK hospital survey to explore healthcare professional views and attitudes to patients incorrectly labelled as penicillin allergic: an antibiotic stewardship patient safety project (May 2018)

Summary

The purpose of this study, published in the European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, was to ascertain the views, beliefs and attitudes of hospital staff to incorrect penicillin allergy records in order to determine healthcare worker motivation for the implementation of a penicillin de-labelling antibiotic stewardship intervention at the study hospital.

Findings showed that virtually all staff in this study, had encountered patients who believed themselves to be penicillin allergic, but felt the patient’s belief to be erroneous. Therefore, a penicillin allergy de-labelling intervention might be of benefit to ensure that patients who were not allergic were able to have the correct antibiotic.