Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Corresponding Author: Kimberly G. The epidemiology of hospital adverse reactions, particularly allergic reactions, or hypersensitivity reactions HSRs , is poorly defined. To determine priorities for allergy safety in healthcare, we identified and described safety reports of allergic reactions.
Allergy safety in the healthcare setting should target approaches to common and severe reactions, with a focus on the safe administration of beta-lactams, vancomycin, contrast agents, chemotherapeutics, and opioids. Priority non-drug HSR culprits include blood products, latex, and devices. Prevention of adverse reactions ARs to medications and other products is important to patient safety. Allergic reactions are hypersensitivity reactions HSRs , immunologically-mediated reactions to specific drug or non-drug culprits.
Drug HSRs were previously estimated to occur in approximately 2 per 1, hospitalizations. Protecting food-allergic inpatients requires that allergy information is conveyed to nutrition services in addition to the pharmacy where drug allergies are communicated. To date, therefore, little is known about healthcare system HSRs, specifically those that result in safety event reports. At MGH, any employee with a valid EHR login can file safety reports, and there are approximately 20, safety reports filed annually.
MGH safety events are classified into 22 event types in rL Solutions. To identify allergy-related safety events, we applied keyword search on free-text fields for all event types and searched coded fields for ADR event types.
ARs were defined as any undesired responses to either a drug or non-drug culprit. HSRs were defined as ARs with allergic signs or symptoms that may have an immunologically-mediated mechanism to a drug or non-drug culprit. Immunologically-mediated mechanisms that were considered included all HSR types defined by Gell and Coombs classifications, 17 but most commonly were a type I or immunoglobulin-E -mediated HSR, with symptoms such as itching, hives, swelling, wheezing, and a type IV HSR, which includes morbilliform drug eruptions, immunologic organ reactions e.
