Penicillin-Allergy No More: An interdisciplinary, pilot QI project in de-labeling ß-lactam allergies in a select group of surgical patients

Around 10% of the population report a penicillin allergy, but under 1% truly have a type I reaction. For most surgical procedures, the preferred perioperative antibiotic is cefazolin, but alternative, less-optimal antibiotics may be administered. The objective was to develop a targeted assessment and expedited system to de-label patients with a reported β-lactam allergy to optimize their antibiotic regimen for surgery and for life.