Improving Penicillin Allergy Evaluation in Surgery
Author Information
Author(s): Eileen J. Carter, Katherine Zavez, Carol Schramm, Meagan M. Zolla, Katelyn Baron, David B. Banach
Primary Institution: University of Connecticut
Hypothesis
Can a multifaceted implementation strategy improve the documentation of penicillin allergies by nurses in perioperative patients?
Conclusion
The implementation strategy improved nurses' documentation of penicillin allergy histories and was perceived as acceptable.
Supporting Evidence
- 426 patients with 487 penicillin allergy records were analyzed.
- Documentation of allergy histories improved significantly post-implementation.
- Nurses found the documentation procedures highly acceptable.
- Focus groups indicated that nurses felt confident using the STORY mnemonic.
- Educational materials were distributed to support the implementation strategy.
Takeaway
This study shows that teaching nurses how to better document penicillin allergies can help improve patient care.
Methodology
A six-month pre-post feasibility implementation study was conducted in outpatient surgical areas, analyzing penicillin allergy documentation before and after the intervention.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the single-site study design and informal evaluations.
Limitations
The study was limited to one academic medical center, which may affect the generalizability of the results.
Participant Demographics
Participants included perioperative nurses and prescribers from various surgical specialties.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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