999. Examining the Impact of a Penicillin Allergy Skin Testing Brochure on Inpatient Perceptions: a Pre-Post Intervention Study

BACKGROUND: Despite the negative implications associated with a penicillin (PCN) allergy label, less than 0.1% of ~25 million subjects with PCN allergy undergo a PCN skin testing (PST). There is a lack of data assessing patient knowledge and attitude about PCN allergy and PST. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of an educational brochure on knowledge and perception of PST in adult inpatients with a PCN allergy label. METHODS: This was a pre-post intervention study conducted at a 528-bed community teaching hospital between June 2016 and March 2019. An electronic medical record was used to identify adult inpatients with an active PCN allergy. Participants completed a pre-brochure survey to assess demographic characteristics and baseline knowledge of PCN allergy and PST. Individuals then read an educational brochure, returned it to study personnel and were provided a post-brochure survey to complete. The primary and secondary outcomes of knowledge and perception were measured based on the level of agreement with statements about PCN allergies and PST using a 5-point Likert scale. McNemar’s test was used to compare responses for those who agreed vs. did not agree to knowledge statements. RESULTS: Among 125 patients approached, 101 completed the survey (80.8%). Patients were predominantly female (66.3%), >65 years of age (42.6%), Caucasian (78.2%) and completed high school or beyond (81.2%). The minority of patients (40.6%) previously heard about PST while 25.7% agreed they had previous discussions about PST with a healthcare provider. Only 24.8% agreed that people can outgrow a PCN allergy at baseline; however, after reading the brochure, this percent tripled (77.2%) (P < 0.01). Among 56 participants who disagreed that PST would be helpful for them at baseline, 30 subsequently agreed with this statement on the post-brochure survey (P < 0.001). Post-brochure, 86.1% indicated they felt better informed about PST. Despite this, 34.7% indicated they would be scared to use PCN again if future PST results were negative. CONCLUSION: An educational brochure improved general knowledge of PCN allergy and PST, including subject report of feeling more informed. Although the brochure successfully educated patients, gaps remain regarding how individuals will personally apply this new information. DISCLOSURES: All authors: No reported disclosures.