Cues to improve antibiotic-allergy registration: A mixed-method study

Background Approximately 2% of patients in primary care practice and up to 25% of hospital patients are registered as being allergic to an antibiotic. However, up to 90% of these registrations are incorrect, leading to unnecessary prescription of 2(nd) choice antibiotics with the attendant loss of efficacy, increased toxicity and antibiotic resistance. To improve registration, a better understanding is needed of how incorrect labels are attributed. Objective To investigate the quality of antibiotic allergy registration in primary care and identify determinants to improve registration of antibiotic allergies. Design Registration of antibiotic allergies in primary care practices were analysed for 1) completeness and 2) correctness. To identify determinants for improvement, semi-structured interviews with healthcare providers from four healthcare domains were conducted. Participants A total of 300 antibiotic allergy registrations were analysed for completeness and correctness. Thirty-four healthcare providers were interviewed. Main measures A registration was defined as complete when it included a description of all symptoms, time to onset of symptoms and the duration of symptoms. It was defined as correct when the conclusion was concordant with the Salden criteria. Determinants of correct antibiotic allergy registrations were divided into facilitators or obstructers. Key results Rates of completeness and correctness of registrations were 0% and 29.3%, respectively. The main perceived barriers for correct antibiotic allergy registration were insufficient knowledge, lack of priority, limitations of registration features in electronic medical records (EMR), fear of medical liability and patients interpreting side-effects as allergies. Conclusions The quality of antibiotic allergy registrations can be improved. Potential interventions include raising awareness of the consequences of incomplete and the importance of correct registrations, by continued education, and above all simplifying registration in an EMR by adequate ICT support.

Automated summary

This study analyzed the completeness and correctness of antibiotic allergy registration in primary care practice and identified determinants for improvement through interviews with healthcare providers. The study found very low rates of completeness and correctness in registrations, with main barriers including insufficient knowledge, lack of priority, limitations of registration features in electronic medical records, fear of medical liability, and patients misinterpreting side-effects as allergies. Potential interventions to improve the quality of antibiotic allergy registrations include raising awareness through continued education and simplifying registration in electronic medical records with adequate ICT support.