Development of a Pipeline for Removing Allergy Labels in Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Penicillin allergy is reported by 10% to 20 % of patients, but when evaluated only 1% to 2% may have a true allergy. Patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have a high likelihood of requiring beta-lactam antibiotics due to increased infection risk, which can be limited by a penicillin allergy label. When a penicillin allergy is recorded, alternatives are needed, including more expensive broader-spectrum antibiotics, with increases in drug-resistant bacteria, longer hospital stays, higher expenditures, and increases in nosocomial infections, such as Clostridium difficile colitis.