Penicillin allergy de-labelling in paediatric outpatients (PADLPOP) study

The PADLPOP study is funded by Ramsay Hospital Research Foundation and is being conducted through the Leading Steps Paediatric Clinic and the Pindara Private Hospital ED.

There is no cost to families and they do not need private health insurance.

It is common for children to be ‘labelled’ as allergic to penicillin. However, most children are not truly allergic and could be safely prescribed penicillin if they were to have an assessment to verify their allergy status. Penicillin allergy labels have been associated with harmful outcomes. Despite expert advise advocating for routine testing, it does not occur in routine practice. In this project we have implemented the Australian Society for Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) consensus statement advise and created a penicillin allergy assessment service for children age 1-16 years at low risk of having a penicillin allergy.

The aims of the study are as follows:

1. To identify children with Penicillin allergy labels and arrange for the community assessment of children at low risk of a penicillin allergy.
2. To de-label children with inappropriate penicillin allergy labels or provide clear documentation which verifies the allergy and ensures appropriate management.
3. Demonstrate that community assessment by the general paediatrician with the support of the emergency department is safe and effective.
4. To evaluate the health-economic impact of community de-labelling using this model of care.
5. To generate an evidence-based resource which could be easily accessed and utilised by other doctors to support the implementation of community de-labelling services (e.g. toolkit comprising questionnaire, testing protocol and parent information sheets)

See the GP information sheet.