Documented penicillin allergy and beta-lactam antibiotic use in Massachusetts long-term care facilities: opportunities for penicillin allergy delabeling
Kap Sum Foong, Shira Doron, Leslie Fowle, Melissa Cumming, Jessica Leaf, Barbara Bolstorff, Christina Brandeburg, Ye Chen, Alysse Wurcel
Antimicrob Steward Healthc Epidemiol. 2024 Oct 8;4(1):e166.
PMID: 39430796 | PMCID: PMC11488468 | DOI: 10.1017/ash.2024.434
Abstract
In a cross-sectional study of 20 Massachusetts long-term care (LTC) facilities, 19% (n = 449) of residents received antibiotics, with approximately one-third having a documented penicillin allergy. This documented allergy decreased the likelihood of prescribing beta-lactam antibiotics for infections. Improved penicillin allergy assessments and delabeling could optimize antibiotic prescribing in LTC settings.