Pay attention to Healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP)

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By  |  January 29, 2009 | 

In 2005, the IDSA and ATS issued guidelines on the treatment of pneumonia in hospitalized patients, and included a new categorization of healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) for patients with recent interface with medical facilities (guidelines). In this prospective cohort, researchers identified 362 patients with CAP, HAP, or HCAP, and determined rates of guideline-appropriate treatment and mortality. Patients with HCAP were much less likely to receive guideline-concordant antibiotics (27%) than patients with CAP (59%) or HAP (69%), and their mortality was much higher (18%) than patients with CAP (7%) (abstract). As a reminder, HCAP patients include: nursing home or long-term care facility residents, anyone hospitalized (2+ days) in the last 90 days, or anyone undergoing hemodialysis / wound care / chemotherapy / IV antibiotics in the last 30 days. These patients should be treated with 2 anti-pseudomonal drugs and 1 anti-MRSA drug (guidelines)

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About the Author: Danielle Scheurer

Danielle Scheurer, MD, MSCR, SFHM is a clinical hospitalist and the Chief Quality Officer at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina, where she also serves as Assistant Professor of Medicine. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, completed her residency at Duke University, and completed her Masters in Clinical Research at the Medical University of South Carolina. She is also the President of SHM's Board of Directors and previously served as Physician Editor of The Hospitalist, SHM's monthly newsmagazine.

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