A significant difference between the year before and the year after the PenSTs was observed in terms of classes of antibiotics dispensed, both to the patients with positive and negative test response (p=0.001)(data not shown in the paper).
A fall of 28% in antibiotic use was observed between the year before the PenSTs (779 courses dispensed to 191 patients) and the year after the PenSTs (558 courses dispensed to 169 patients).
No change was observed in the outpatient visit rate after PenST, but a shift from primary to specialty care occurred in the year after PenST (51.9% of outpatient visits to primary care in the year before PenST versus 39.1% in the year after PenST, (p=0.0001)).
A total of 3.3% (3 cases) unrechallenged mild adverse reactions occurred in 93 patients with negative skin test responses having received 188 therapeutic courses of penicillin during the year after PenST.
Six cases of adverse reactions occurred in 146 subjects with negative skin test responses undergoing optional amoxicillin challenge (AC), four of these being resolved by prescribing a penicillin analogue in the next year without reaction.
One delayed reaction was observed in 15 patients with positive PenST responses with 33 prescriptions for oral cephalosporin during the year after PenST.