Antibiotic allergies are frequently reported and have significant impacts upon appropriate prescribing and clinical outcomes. We surveyed infectious diseases physicians, allergists, clinical immunologists and hospital pharmacists to evaluate antibiotic allergy knowledge and service delivery in Australia and New Zealand.
An online multi-choice questionnaire was developed and endorsed by representatives of the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA), Australasian Society of Infectious Diseases (ASID) and Society of Hospital Pharmacists Australia (SHPA). The 37-item survey was distributed in April 2015 to members of ASCIA, ASID, SHPA and Royal Australasian College of Physicians.
Of 277 respondents, 94% currently use or would utilise antibiotic allergy testing (AAT) and reported seeing up to 10 patients/week labelled as antibiotic-allergic. Forty-two per cent were not aware of or did not have AAT available. Most felt that AAT would aid antibiotic selection, antibiotic appropriateness and antimicrobial stewardship (79%, 69% and 61%, respectively). Patients with histories of immediate hypersensitivity were more likely to be referred than those with delayed hypersensitivities (76% vs. 41%, p=0.0001). Lack of specialist physicians (20%) and personal experience (17%) were barriers to service delivery. A multidisciplinary approach was the preferred AAT model (53%). Knowledge gaps were identified, with the majority over-estimating rates of penicillin/cephalosporin (78%), penicillin/carbapenem (57%) and penicillin/monobactam (39%) cross-reactivity.
A high burden of antibiotic allergy labelling and demand for AAT is complicated by a relative lack availability or awareness of AAT services in Australia and New Zealand. Antibiotic allergy education and deployment of AAT, accessible to community and hospital-based clinicians, may improve clinical decisions and reduce antibiotic allergy impacts. A collaborative approach involving ID physicians, pharmacists and allergists/immunologists is required.
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science
8
10%
Nursing and Health Professions
7
8%
Social Sciences
5
6%
Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine
2
2%
Other
10
12%
Unknown
36
43%
Attention Score in Context
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 5. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 22 June 2017.
All research outputs
#6,855,735
of 24,542,484 outputs
Outputs from Internal Medicine Journal
#685
of 2,465 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#98,045
of 316,990 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Internal Medicine Journal
#14
of 33 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 24,542,484 research outputs across all sources so far. This one has received more attention than most of these and is in the 71st percentile.
So far Altmetric has tracked 2,465 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 7.2. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 71% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 316,990 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 68% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 33 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 57% of its contemporaries.
