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The impact of antibiotic allergy labels on antibiotic exposure, clinical outcomes, and healthcare costs: A systematic review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 October 2020

Nathan M. Krah ,
Trahern W. Jones ,
Joanita Lake  and
Adam L. Hersh Open the ORCID record for Adam L. Hersh [Opens in a new window]
Nathan M. Krah
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Trahern W. Jones
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Joanita Lake
Affiliation:
Department of Pharmacotherapy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Adam L. Hersh*
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
*
Author for correspondence: Adam L. Hersh, E-mail: adam.hersh@hsc.utah.edu
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Abstract

Objective:

A growing body of evidence suggests that antibiotic allergy labels as documented in medical records are a risk factor for poor clinical outcomes. In this systematic review, we aimed to determine how antibiotic allergy labels influence 3 domains: antibiotic use and exposure, clinical outcomes, and healthcare-related costs.

Design:

We performed a systematic review to identify studies reporting outcomes in patients with antibiotic allergy labels compared to nonallergic counterparts. The search included PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL, EBSCO, Cochrane Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects and Web of Science. Two reviewers independently screened studies for inclusion and abstracted data. Studies were graded using the Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment scale. Study outcomes included antibiotic use, clinical outcomes, and economic outcomes.

Results:

In total, 41 studies met our criteria for inclusion. These studies varied in medical specialty, patient population, healthcare delivery system, and design, but most were conducted among adults age >18 years (85%) in the inpatient setting (82.5%). Among 34 studies examining antibiotic exposure, 32 (94%) found that patients with antibiotic allergy labels received more broad-spectrum antibiotics. Moreover, 31 studies examined clinical outcomes such as length of hospitalization, ICU admission, hospital readmission, multidrug-resistant or opportunistic infection, or mortality, and 27 (87%) found that allergy-labeled patients had at least 1 negative outcome. Of 9 studies examining healthcare costs, 7 (78%) found that allergy-labeled patients incurred significantly higher drug or hospital-related costs.

Conclusions:

Antibiotic allergy labels have negative effects on antibiotic use, clinical outcomes, and economic outcomes in a variety of clinical settings and populations.

Type
Original Article
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 42 , Issue 5 , May 2021 , pp. 530 - 548
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

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Footnotes

a

Authors of equal contribution.

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