Patients' understanding of drug allergy and documentation: Is there a link?

Background: Re-exposure to a drug to which one is allergic is a preventable adverse drug event. There is a reliance on the patient to provide accurate information on their allergies for the purpose of complete documentation. Aim: To investigate the relationship between patients' understanding of their drug allergy and documentation of their allergy status in their hospital records. Method: A structured interview of inpatients identified whether they had a drug allergy. Patients were then assessed on their ability to distinguish the symptoms of an allergic reaction from those of an adverse effect and stratified into groups based on their level of understanding. Review of drug charts and medical records identified both the presence and quality of documentation. Results: Of the 250 patients interviewed, 95 (38%) had previously experienced a true allergic reaction to a drug. A good understanding of the symptoms associated with an allergic reaction was demonstrated by 48 (51%). 50 (53%) patients had their allergy documented on their medication chart and 69 (73%) in their medical records. 18 (19%) patients had no documentation of their allergy status. There was a trend that good understanding of allergy may lead to improved completeness of documentation but this did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: Patients' understanding of drug allergy improved the quality of documentation. System changes need to ensure proper training of staff to take and record drug allergies