Beta-lactams are the most common antibiotics prescribed to children, including penicillin and amoxicillin. They are usually more effective and have fewer side effects than other ty antibiotics. Some children can have reactions to these antibiotics that can be mistaken as an allergy, especially rashes that develop days to weeks later. In such cases, when children take the antibiotic again, they have no problem tolerating it; this is called "delabeling an allergy" with an "oral challenge". Based on our experience with a similar program among inpatients, we are implementing and evaluating an allergy delabeling program for children in the SickKids ED, with the hope and intent to delabel most children of their "allergies" using an oral challenge.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
500
Prospective cohort study of patients presenting to the ED with a reported BLA. (1) Allergy history and risk assessment, (2) Oral provocation challenge (if eligible), and (3) Post-discharge follow-up (if received OPC or referred to allergy).
In the first component of the study, research staff will survey patients for history pertinent to their BLA label. This includes questions regarding any prior evaluations, patients' perception of their allergy label, and clinical details of allergy history. The latter involves an allergy history risk assessment, which will screen patient for high-risk features (eg, new maculopapular rash within 2 hours of administering antibiotic). Presence of any high-risk features will disqualify the patient from subsequent study components. Finally, the questionnaire will screen for presence of any clinical confounders that would preclude administration of the OPC (eg, use of antihistamines within prior 72 hours).
Monica Caldeira-Kulbakas
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The primary outcome will be the proportion of patients delabeled among those given the OPC.
In the primary analysis, successful BLA removal will be defined as tolerating OPC without any immediate adverse reaction.
Time frame: Up to 2 weeks
The proportion of patients with a reported BLA who are low risk (potential impact)
This includes questions regarding any prior evaluations, patients' perception of their allergy label, and clinical details of allergy history. The latter involves an allergy history risk assessment, which will screen patient for high-risk features (eg, new maculopapular rash within 2 hours of administering antibiotic). Presence of any high-risk features will disqualify the patient from subsequent study components. Finally, the questionnaire will screen for presence of any clinical confounders that would preclude administration of the OPC (eg, use of antihistamines within prior 72 hours).
Time frame: Day 1
The proportion of patients successfully delabeled without any adverse reactions (immediate or delayed up to 2 weeks)
Successful BLA removal will be defined as tolerating OPC without any immediate adverse reaction.
Time frame: Up to 2 weeks
The proportion of patients who receive or are prescribed amoxicillin or a first-generation cephalosporin, among patients who undergo OPC
Time frame: Day 1
Feasibility based on proportion of eligible participants who consent to OPC
Time frame: Up to 2 weeks
Feasibility based on duration of allergy risk assessment and OPC (calculated using CRF timestamps)
Time frame: Up to 2 weeks
Patient and caregiver perspectives on BLA and OPC
After completion of the oral challenge, participants and their caregivers will complete a study questionnaire to assess their opinions about the safety of the oral challenge and their comfortability with having the allergy label removed from their chart.
Time frame: Day 1
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