Synchronous Telemedicine in Allergy: Lessons Learned and Transformation of Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic facilitated a rapid transition to non–face-to-face models of care across the allergy services. OBJECTIVE: To describe the outcomes of the use of synchronous telemedicine for outpatient consultations in a tertiary adult allergy center. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all non–face-to-face appointments during the second month of the pandemic in the United Kingdom. RESULTS: A total of 637 non–face-to-face appointments for unique patients were booked between April 1 and 30, 2020; 91% were new consultations. Most referrals (81.5%) were related to nondrug reactions. The overall “Did Not Attend” rate was 15.7%. A total of 439 patients were assessed for nondrug reactions; 87% were new appointments. Food-related reactions (50.4%), urticaria/angioedema (23.2%), and rhinitis (18.1%) were the most common reasons for new referrals. Two hundred twenty-one (57.7%) of these patients required further allergy testing, primarily for suspected food allergy. More than 42% of the new patients, mainly referred for urticaria/angioedema, were discharged after their remote assessment. Less than 10% of the follow-up patients required additional testing. Ninety-seven new patients were assessed for a suspected drug reaction, predominantly to beta-lactam antibiotics (57.7%). Sixty-nine patients (71%) required further investigations, but a notable 29% did not require further allergy input. The overall experience was very good/good for most patients (85%). CONCLUSION: Telemedicine can transform the current models of allergy care. Screening criteria for selecting suitable new patients are required. A telemedicine-based drug allergy service model can be more time- and cost-effective, and improve patient access to specialist care.