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Parental Perceptions of Penicillin Allergy Labels: Findings from a Multisite Survey at Two Pediatric Primary Locations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 September 2025

Elizabeth Monsees
Affiliation:
Children’s Mercy Hospital
Mary Lou Manning
Affiliation:
Thomas Jefferson University
Rana El Feghaly
Affiliation:
Children’s Mercy Kansas City
Eileen Carter
Affiliation:
University of Connecticut School of Nursing
Cliff O’Callahan
Affiliation:
Middlesex Health and University of Connecticut
Sharon Hwang
Affiliation:
Nemours Children’s Hospital
Tara Schmidt
Affiliation:
Villanova University
Monika Pogorzelska-Maziarz
Affiliation:
Villanova University

Abstract

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Background: In children, penicillin allergy labels (PALs) are pervasive and persistent, despite linkage to suboptimal antibiotic selection with higher risk of side effects, increased length of hospitalization, and increased risk of harm throughout life. Up to 10% of children are labeled with PALs, yet over 95% tolerate the medication when tested. Parents might not always know that PALs are over-reported or incorrectly diagnosed. We aimed to examine parent and guardian perceptions of PALs and their attitudes towards delabeling. Method: We invited all English and Spanish-speaking parents of children presenting to two pediatric primary care locations in the northeast U.S to participate in an online, investigator-developed survey. Survey recruitment was passive, with parents discovering the survey through English and Spanish posters in the waiting and examination rooms. The survey included an initial screening question to identify whether a penicillin allergy was present. If the parent answered “yes,” they were instructed to proceed with survey completion. The survey consisted of 32 questions (7 reaction history, 9 perceptions, 5 provider interaction, 4 general knowledge, 6 demographics and one open-ended). We used descriptive statistics to analyze the data. Result: After screening, we received 54 completed responses. Most respondents had a college degree or higher (75%). When asked about the reaction, the majority occurred in those ≤ 2 years of life (55%); the predominant symptom reported was rash (92%). Twenty-nine percent of patients were evaluated in an urgent care or emergency room. Parents reported being very concerned by the reaction to penicillin (79%). When asked if their child would have a reaction if re-prescribed penicillin, none disagreed. Only 38% did not think allergies were permanent. Most families had not been offered penicillin testing (82%), although 67% expressed interest in the testing process, and 64% planned to inquire about testing following our survey. The majority (89%) would not agree to removing PALs without testing, citing fear that the child would have an allergic reaction if given penicillin (60%) and needing more information (25%) as the reasons for lack of agreement with PAL removal without testing. Conclusion: Among this highly educated population, parents expressed concerns at the initial reaction, perceived the reaction would reoccur with future penicillin use, and stated interest in testing, but were reluctant to delabel from history alone. Parents are untapped partners in delabeling; interventions are necessary to enhance parental understanding of the impact of PALs and the potential for delabeling with low-risk allergies.

Information

Type
Antibiotic Stewardship
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America