Negative impact of penicillin allergy labels on antibiotic use in hospitalized patients in Chinese Mainland

BACKGROUND: Penicillin allergy labels have gained increasing global attention. However, to date, there are no data on the influence of penicillin allergy labels on patients in Chinese mainland. METHODS: This retrospective study reviewed the electronic health record (EHR) of hospitalized patients between June 1, 2018 and May 31, 2019. Patients with a penicillin allergy record were included in the allergy group. Every allergy patient was matched with 4 control patients by using propensity score-based matching to make sure the following were balanced: age, sex, date of admission, and the main diagnosis. We estimated the prevalence of penicillin allergy labels and compared the antibiotic prescription patterns and other clinical outcomes between the 2 groups. RESULTS: A total of 5691 patients and 22 585 patients were included in the allergy group and control group, respectively. The prevalence of penicillin allergy labels among the hospitalized patients in this study was 4.00%. Compared to the control group, significantly fewer patients in the allergy group were prescribed penicillins and most cephalosporins, while a larger proportion of allergy patients received clindamycin (10.02% vs 5.41%, p < 0.001) and some higher-class antibiotics, such as monobactams (1.81% vs 0.54%, p < 0.001), carbapenems (5.80% vs 4.98%, p = 0.014), macrolides (0.60% vs 0.25%, p < 0.001), and quinolones (17.62% vs 12.40%, p < 0.001). Allergy patients also had longer hospital stays and a greater need to consult infection specialists. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of penicillin allergy labels was 4.00% in Chinese hospitalized patients. Penicillin allergy labels could cause irrational antibiotic prescribing, prolonged hospital stays, and greater consultation needs.