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Penicillin Allergy Assessment And Skin Testing In The Outpatient Setting, Wesley D. Kufel, Julie Ann Justo, P. Brandon Bookstaver, Lisa M. Avery

Faculty Publications

Penicillin allergies are among of the most commonly reported allergies, yet only 10% of these patients are truly allergic. This leads to potential inadvertent negative consequences for patients and makes treatment decisions challenging for clinicians. Thus, allergy assessment and penicillin skin testing (PST) are important management strategies to reconcile and clarify labeled penicillin allergies. While PST is more common in the inpatient setting where the results will immediately impact antibiotic management, this process is becoming of increasing importance in the outpatient setting. PST in the outpatient setting allows clinicians to proactively de-label and educate patients accordingly so beta-lactam antibiotics may …

Direct Measurement Of Performance: A New Era In Antimicrobial Stewardship, Majdi N. Al-Hasan, Hana Rac Winders, P. Brandon Bookstaver, Julie Ann Justo

Faculty Publications

Penicillin allergies are among of the most commonly reported allergies, yet only 10% of these patients are truly allergic. This leads to potential inadvertent negative consequences for patients and makes treatment decisions challenging for clinicians. Thus, allergy assessment and penicillin skin testing (PST) are important management strategies to reconcile and clarify labeled penicillin allergies. While PST is more common in the inpatient setting where the results will immediately impact antibiotic management, this process is becoming of increasing importance in the outpatient setting. PST in the outpatient setting allows clinicians to proactively de-label and educate patients accordingly so beta-lactam antibiotics may …

Penicillin Allergy Skin Testing In The Inpatient Setting, Julie Ann Justo, Wesley D. Kufel, Lisa Avery, P. Brandon Bookstaver

Faculty Publications

The consequences of a documented penicillin allergy in the medical record are especially troublesome in acutely ill, hospitalized patients. A penicillin allergy label may lead to alternative or second line therapies resulting in adverse drug events, negative clinical outcomes and increased costs. Reconciling penicillin allergies is a necessity to facilitate early, optimal therapy and is a shared responsibility among the healthcare team. Penicillin skin testing (PST) has been utilized successfully in hospitalized patients to de-label erroneous penicillin allergies and optimize antibiotic therapy. This targeted review aims to discuss the practical development and implementation of PST in the inpatient setting. This …

Antimicrobial Stewardship: Staff Nurse Knowledge And Attitudes, Katreena Collette Merrill, Sandra Forsyth Hanson, Sharon Sumner, Todd Vento, John Veillette, Brandono Webb

Faculty Publications

Background: Registered nurses are uniquely qualified to augment antimicrobial stewardship (AS) processes. However, the role of nursing in AS needs further development. More information is needed regarding gaps in registered nurse knowledge, attitudes toward AS, and how infection preventionists can help.

Methods: An online descriptive survey was deployed to a convenience sample of approximately 2,000 nurses at the bedside. The survey included 15 questions addressing: (1) overall knowledge of AS; (2) antimicrobial delivery; (3) knowledge and attitudes regarding antimicrobial use; (4) antimicrobial resistance; and (5) antimicrobial resources and education.

Results: Three hundred sixteen staff nurses from 3 hospitals (15.8%) responded …

Post-Allergen Challenge Inhibition Of Poly(Adp-Ribose) Polymerase Harbors Therapeutic Potential For Treatment Of Allergic Airway Inflammation, A. S. Naura, C. P. Hans, M. Zerfaoui, D. You, S. A. Cormier, M. Oumouna, A. H. Boulares

Faculty Publications

Background: Identifying therapeutic drugs that block the release or effects of T-helper type 2 (Th2) cytokines after allergen exposure is an important goal for the treatment of allergic inflammatory diseases including asthma. We recently showed, using a murine model of allergic airway inflammation, that poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of asthma-related lung inflammation. PARP inhibition, by single injection of a novel inhibitor, thieno[2,3-c]isoquinolin-5-one (TIQ-A), before ovalbumin (OVA) challenge, prevented airway eosinophilia in C57BL/6 mice with concomitant suppression of Th2 cytokine production and mucus secretion. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of the drug when it is …