Each year, around 62,000 people in England have a serious allergic reaction to a drug which puts them in hospital. A recent analysis from the National Reporting and Learning System revealed that in many of the instances where people suffered harm, they had been given a drug to which they were already known to be allergic.
To address this issue, NICE has published its first guideline on drug allergy in adults, children and young people, which aims to dispel confusion around best practice in assessment, documentation, communication and referral.
The recommendations prioritise the thorough assessment of any person who is suspected of having a drug allergy and details what signs to look out for. These include symptoms that come on rapidly such as hives, wheezing, redness or swelling of the skin and symptoms which can take several days to show such as fever, liver dysfunction or eczema.
The guideline identified major issues in clinical documentation of drug allergy with insufficient information being recorded and shared with other healthcare professionals or people with allergies themselves. The guideline outlines a structured approach to collecting information on new drug allergies. It also makes a recommendation to redesign prescriptions (paper or electronic) issued in any setting to include information on drugs or drug classes people with a known drug allergy should avoid. www.nice.org.uk
