A recent clinical study, two significant approaches were developed. Skin testing and computerized support tool were found to help improve penicillin use.
Researchers from the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) developed two significant approaches. On a report conducted by Science Daily, the researchers have found the use of penicillin and cephalosporins highly effective antibiotic.
With the use of computerized support tool and penicillin skin tests, the researchers found a way on how to use penicillin-related antibiotics to patients with penicillin allergies. Dr. Kimberly Blumenthal from the Medical Practice Evaluation Center tested 10 to 15 percent of hospitalized patients with penicillin allergies.
At the end of Dr. Blumenthal's test, she was able to find that 95 percent of the patients are not really allergic to penicillin. Dr. Blumenthal used the method of penicillin allergy skin testing and the computerized support tool to derived her evidence.
According to Dot Med Healthcare Busines Daily News, Dr. Blumenthal confidently said that they have found out that addressing penicillin allergy using either of the two methods could then lead to an overall improvement in patient's choice for the antibiotic.
Meanwhile, Dr. Blumenthal does not want to discourage other methods of evaluation, but only to promote a different management decision. She further noted that the decision support tool was not integrated into the electronic health record during the study period and that, the tool becomes more available.
Her co-lead author Dr. Paige Wickner from the BWH Division of Rheumatology positively commented on the benefit of the computerized support tool and penicillin skin testing. "This study offered a unique opportunity to examine what strategy best serves inpatients who have this listed allergy," Dr. Wickner said.
The two hospitals have been using the penicillin allergy skin testing procedure and the computerized support tool over a few months and found it to have the greater effect on antibiotic prescription. Dr. Wickner confirmed that they have more than 200,000 penicillin-allergic patients which they want to work on using the two approaches.
