many Hospital Patients Incorrectly Listed as Allergic to Antibiotics, Pilot Study Finds
Rhenen, Netherlands – A important number of hospital patients presenting wiht a documented antibiotic allergy may not actually be allergic, according to a pilot program at the Groene Hart Hospital. The findings, highlighted by internist Faiz Karim in Medical Contact, suggest widespread mislabeling of reactions as allergies leads to suboptimal treatment, increased costs, and perhaps avoidable hospitalizations.
The project revealed that of 100 patients arriving at the emergency department with a registered antibiotic allergy, 196 successful ”delabelings” – the removal of the allergy designation – were achieved for one or more antibiotics. This practice involved either a review of patient history and risk assessment (63 patients) or further allergy testing (33 patients). Only five patients were confirmed to have a true allergy, either through ancient data and prior examinations (four patients) or a single-dose intake test (one patient).
This misdiagnosis has substantial consequences. Karim and colleagues explain that incorrect allergy listings often result in the prescription of alternative antibiotics, which are frequently less effective and more expensive. In certain specific cases, hospitalization is required to administer these alternative treatments. Karim advocates for proactive allergy checks and, when appropriate, the process of delabelen – removing the inaccurate allergy designation.
Financially, the pilot demonstrated benefits including reduced spending on unnecessary antibiotics, fewer complications requiring hospital admission, and a decrease in the need for additional allergy testing.A common cause of these incorrect registrations,Karim notes,is the misinterpretation of side effects as allergic reactions,or childhood reactions that patients have since outgrown – often initially reported by parents.
While the Groene Hart Hospital’s work is a pilot program and not a formal scientific study, Karim emphasizes that its results align with existing scientific literature on antibiotic allergies. The findings underscore the need for hospitals to reassess existing allergy documentation and implement strategies for accurate allergy identification and delabeling.
