Not a Benign (Mis)Label: Penicillin Allergy Education for the Nonallergist

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Clinical Pharmacology
• Allergy and Immunology

Background:

• Over 20% of the US population has a penicillin allergy label, but most can tolerate penicillin.
• This discrepancy leads to significant personal and public health issues.
• A lack of formal training exists for medical trainees on penicillin allergy assessment and prescribing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an interactive curriculum for medical students on penicillin allergy.
• To improve trainees' skills in history taking, risk assessment, and antibiotic prescribing for patients with penicillin allergy labels.

Main Methods:

• A 60-minute interactive curriculum was designed using didactics, case studies, and role-playing.
• Targeted medical students during their internal medicine rotation.
• Paired t-tests were used to compare pre- and post-intervention self-efficacy and knowledge.

Main Results:

• 25 students completed pre- and post-surveys, showing statistically significant improvements.
• Increased preparedness in prescribing antibiotics for patients with penicillin allergy labels (p < .001).
• Enhanced ability to identify severe allergic reactions (p < .001) and increased perception of label consequences (p = .005).
• Overall knowledge scores significantly increased (p = .006).

Conclusions:

• The workshop effectively improved medical student self-efficacy and knowledge regarding penicillin allergy using adult learning principles.
• Further research is needed to refine the curriculum and assess its impact on clinical outcomes.