Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32107530›Full record

ArticleClinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America2021

Penicillin Allergy Testing Is Cost-Saving: An Economic Evaluation Study.

Bernardo Sousa-Pinto, Kimberly G Blumenthal, Eric Macy, Ana Margarida Pereira, Luís Filipe Azevedo, Luís Delgado, João Almeida Fonseca

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
31citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
8.4field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

31 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 91 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Antimicrobial and diagnostic stewardship: opportunities for return on investment.Antimicrobial stewardship & healthcare epidemiology : ASHE · 2026
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Review
  11. An Economic Evaluation of Direct Oral Penicillin Challenge for De-Labelling Low Risk Patients With a Penicillin Allergy Label.Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology · 2025
    Article
  12. Drug allergy.Allergy, asthma, and clinical immunology : official journal of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · 2025
    Review
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Resource utilization and cost assessment of a proactive penicillin allergy de-labeling program for low-risk inpatients.Allergy, asthma, and clinical immunology : official journal of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · 2024
    Article
  19. Delabeling, safety, and impact of β-lactam allergy testing: A systematic review.The journal of allergy and clinical immunology. Global · 2023
    Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Bernardo Sousa-PintoDepartment of Community Medicine, Information and Health Decision Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Kimberly G BlumenthalDivision of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Eric MacyDepartment of Allergy, Southern California Permanente Medical Group, San Diego Medical Center, San Diego, California, USA.
Ana Margarida PereiraDepartment of Community Medicine, Information and Health Decision Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Luís Filipe AzevedoDepartment of Community Medicine, Information and Health Decision Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Luís DelgadoCenter for Health Technology and Services Research, Porto, Portugal.
João Almeida FonsecaDepartment of Community Medicine, Information and Health Decision Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Universidade do Porto · PTHarvard University · US

Funding

The Clinical and Economic Impact of Penicillin AllergyK01AI125631 · NIAID · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI BLUMENTHAL, KIMBERLY GOLD · 2016 to 2021
$779k
NIAID NIH HHS K01 AI125631
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHaving a penicillin allergy label is associated with the use of less appropriate and more expensive antibiotics and increased healthcare utilization. Penicillin allergy testing results in delabeling most allergy claimants and may be cost-saving. This study aimed to project whether penicillin allergy testing in patients reporting a penicillin allergy is cost-saving.

methodsIn this economic evaluation study, we built decision models to project the economic impact of 2 strategies for a patient with a penicillin allergy label: (1) perform diagnostic testing (drug challenges, with or without skin tests); and (2) do not perform diagnostic testing. The health service perspective was adopted, considering costs with penicillin allergy tests, and with hospital bed-days/outpatient visits, antibiotic use, and diagnostic testing. Twenty-four base case decision models were built, accounting for differences in the diagnostic workup, setting (inpatient vs outpatient) and geographic region. Uncertainty was explored via probabilistic sensitivity analyses.

resultsPenicillin allergy testing was cost-saving in all decision models built. For models assessing the performance of both skin tests and drug challenges, allergy testing resulted in average savings (in United States [US] dollars) of $657 for inpatients (US: $1444; Europe: $489) and $2746 for outpatients (US: $256; Europe: $6045). 75% of simulations obtained through probabilistic sensitivity analysis identified testing as the less costly option.

conclusionsPenicillin allergy testing was projected to be cost-saving across different scenarios. These results are devised to inform guidelines, supporting the adoption of policies promoting widespread testing of patients with a penicillin allergy label.

Indexed as

Drug HypersensitivityPenicillinsAnti-Bacterial AgentsCost-Benefit AnalysisEuropeHumansSkin TestsAnti-Bacterial AgentsPenicillinsdrug allergydrug challengeeconomic evaluationpenicillin allergy

Identifiers

PMID32107530
PMCPMC7958749
OpenAlexW3007974883

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.