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Inpatient consultation of allergy/immunology in a tertiary care setting

Ronald W England1, Thomas C Ho, Diane C Napoli

  • 1Department of Allergy/Immunology, Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland AFB, Texas 78236-5300, USA. Ronald.England@lackland.af.mil

Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology : Official Publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology
|May 2, 2003
PubMed

Insights

This study analyzed allergy/immunology (A/I) inpatient consultations from 1987-2001. Adverse drug reactions and asthma were most common, while immunodeficiency and anaphylaxis referrals remained stable, guiding A/I fellowship training.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Specialties
  • Clinical Immunology
  • Allergy Medicine

Background:

  • Limited research exists on referral patterns for allergy/immunology (A/I) inpatient consultations.
  • Understanding these patterns is crucial for optimizing A/I fellowship training and patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the primary reasons for A/I inpatient consultations.
  • To analyze trends in A/I consultations over a 15-year period.
  • To inform and improve A/I fellowship educational curricula.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective chart review of all A/I inpatient consults from July 1, 1987, to June 30, 2001.
  • Analysis of primary reasons for consultation.
  • Comparison of A/I consultation trends with total hospital admissions and average daily patient load.

Main Results:

  • Adverse drug reactions (36%) were the most frequent reason for A/I consults, followed by asthma (21%) and miscellaneous reasons (21%).
  • Referrals for immunodeficiency (8%) and anaphylaxis (6%) remained stable over the study period.
  • A decrease in asthma and adverse drug reaction consults was observed, correlating with a fall in total hospital admissions, though the ratio of A/I consults to average daily patient load increased.

Conclusions:

  • Identifying common consultation reasons aids in educating A/I fellows and residents.
  • Inpatient consultations are vital for A/I training, offering opportunities to manage severe, life-threatening conditions.
  • Stable consultation trends for immunodeficiency and anaphylaxis highlight the allergist/immunologist's essential role in inpatient care.
Abstract

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