Table I.
Characteristics of drug allergy experts
| Characteristic | No. (%) |
|---|---|
| Type of practice | |
| Private allergy practice—solo | 2 (4.4) |
| Private allergy practice—group | 2 (4.4) |
| Group owned by medical center | 1 (2.2) |
| Academic medical center/clinic | 40 (88.9) |
| Multispecialty practice | 3 (6.7) |
| Practice location | |
| United States | 32 (69.6) |
| Canada | 6 (13.0) |
| Europe | 1 (2.2) |
| Other | 7 (15.2) |
| Experience in drug allergy | |
| 1-5 years | 17 (37.0) |
| 5-10 years | 8 (17.4) |
| 10-15 years | 8 (17.4) |
| >15 years | 13 (28.3) |
| Main sources of drug allergy knowledge | |
| Consensus guidelines (practice parameters) | 43 (95.6) |
| Other published articles | 39 (86.7) |
| Conferences and meetings | 33 (73.3) |
| Fellowship training | 27 (60.0) |
| Personal experience | 29 (64.4) |
| Mentors or other experienced colleagues | 27 (60.0) |
| Other | 2 (4.4) |
| Test preparation | |
| Access to pharmacy support | 36 (81.8) |
| Self-obtained and prepared in clinic | 13 (29.5) |
| Both | 1 (2.3) |
| Availability to perform immediate and delayed drug reaction test | |
| Immediate | 10 (21.7) |
| Delayed | 0 |
| Both immediate and delayed reactions | 36 (78.3) |
| Type of test performed | |
| Prick test for immediate hypersensitivity | 42 (93.3) |
| Intradermal test for immediate hypersensitivity | 42 (93.3) |
| Prick test for delayed hypersensitivity | 10 (22.2) |
| Intradermal test for delayed hypersensitivity | 27 (60.0) |
| Patch test for delayed hypersensitivity | 17 (37.8) |
| Single-dose challenge for immediate hypersensitivity | 33 (73.3) |
| Two-step challenge for immediate hypersensitivity | 39 (86.7) |
| Single-dose challenge for delayed hypersensitivity | 27 (60.0) |
| Two-step challenge for delayed hypersensitivity | 18 (40.0) |
| Multiple-dose–multiple-day challenge for delayed hypersensitivity | 17 (37.8) |
| Other | 2 (4.4) |
| Type of drug allergy categories seen in practice | |
| Penicillin alone | 33 (73.3) |
| Multiple antibiotics | 43 (95.6) |
| Biologics | 35 (77.8) |
| Contrast media | 37 (82.2) |
| NSAIDs | 41 (91.1) |
| Chemotherapy | 29 (64.4) |
| Other (iron, etc) | 23 (51.1) |
| Cephalosporin hypersensitivity evaluation in the practice | |
| Yes | 44 (95.7) |
| No, but plan to add it to my practice over the next year | 1 (2.2) |
| No, and don’t plan to add it to my practice | 1 (2.2) |
| Most common immediate type reaction to cephalosporin | |
| Cefazolin | 24 (53.3) |
| Ceftriaxone | 3 (6.7) |
| Cephalexin | 18 (40.0) |
| Time from initial reaction to evaluation | |
| 1-4 weeks | 2 (4.5) |
| 4-8 weeks | 12 (27.3) |
| 2-6 months | 11 (25.0) |
| 6-12 months | 6 (13.6) |
| 1-5 years | 3 (6.8) |
| >5 years | 10 (22.7) |
NSAID, Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug.