When allergies are really not

Long lists of “allergies” can sometimes interfere with treatment:

The problem with “allergies that aren’t allergies” is that sometimes the “allergies” can prevent you from giving a medication that the patient really needs. What do you do with a patient who has allergies to multiple antibiotics and who comes in with septic shock? If you give the patient something they are “allergic to” and there is a bad outcome, you get sued. If you don’t give them an indicated antibiotic for the type of infection because of an “allergy” and there is a bad outcome, you can get sued, also.

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