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Penicillin and other beta-lactams are the most commonly used antibiotics due to their narrow spectrum of activity, low cost and safety profile. However, an "allergy" to Penicillin is also the most commonly reported allergy. Approximately, 5-10% of all patients self-report an allergy to Penicillin and of these <10% are found to have true IgE mediated allergy on skin testing. Numerous studies have confirmed the usefulness and strong negative predictive value (>99%) of skin testing to rule out true IgE mediated Penicillin allergy. Less than 10% of patients with a history of penicillin allergy are found to be actually allergic to penicillin on skin testing. Despite this, most physicians forgo further investigations in favor of the usage of alternative antibiotics.

RATIONALE: Drug allergy consults are challenging due to the dearth of published data. This study aims to determine the utility of a website-based database of drug allergy case reports and desensitization protocols among North American allergists. An online survey was administered to American allergists, who are members of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) as well as the Canadian Society of Allergists and Immunologists (CSACI). METHODS: A semi-structured survey was created and administered to members of the AAAAI and CSACI. The questions were split into two parts: demographics and database design. The demographics section of the survey strives to ascertain the types of drugs commonly consulted for and the frequency of these consults. The last part of the survey tries to gauge if there is a need among North American allergists for this database and what features are important to them. RESULTS: 262 North American Allergists answered the survey. When discussing which drugs patients are consulted about-the vast majority (>95%) said they had been consulted for Penicillins, and Cephalosporins. When asked if they would utilize a website database of case reports on drug hypersensitivity reactions and desensitization protocols 82.9% responded yes with 54.1% of respondents also being interested in submitting to the database. CONCLUSIONS: There is widespread support among North American Allergists for the creation of a database of drug allergy. Most respondents feel it would be useful and would be interested in submitting case reports.

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