Identifying opportunities in EHR to improve the quality of antibiotic allergy data.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a growing, global public health crisis, due in large part to the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. Understanding medication allergy data and allergy reactions that are documented in electronic health records (EHRs) can help to identify opportunities to improve the quality of documentation of beta-lactam allergies, thus potentially reducing the prescribing of alternative antibiotics.

Methods: Medication allergies and allergy reactions recorded in the EHR for 319 051 patients seen across 32 community health centers were reviewed.

Graduating osteopathic medical students' perceptions and recommendations on the decision to take the United States Medical Licensing Examination.

Context: Osteopathic medical students have a choice to take the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) in addition to the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination-USA (COMLEX-USA). However, taking the USMLE requires additional commitments of time, effort, and expense, often for uncertain return. No data are available about the attitudes of graduating osteopathic medical students toward their options regarding the USMLE and how they decide whether to take this examination.