Community acquired pneumonia is a major contributor to illness and mortality in the United States, causing 4 million episodes of illness and nearly one million hospital admissions each year.
Scientific evidence indicates that the following measures represent the best practices for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia:
- PN-2. Pneumococcal Vaccination Status
The pneumococcal vaccine may help you prevent, or lower the risk of complications of pneumonia caused by bacteria. It may also help you prevent future infections. Patients with pneumonia should be asked if they have been vaccinated recently for pneumonia and, if not, should be given the vaccine.
Higher percentages are better.
- PN-3b. Blood Cultures Performed in the Emergency Department Prior to Initial Antibiotic Received in Hospita
Different types of bacteria can cause pneumonia. A blood culture is a test that can help your health care provider identify which bacteria may have caused your pneumonia, and which antibiotic should be prescribed. A blood culture is not always needed, but for patients who are first seen in the hospital emergency department, it is important for the accuracy of the test that blood culture be conducted before any antibiotics are started. It is also important to start antibiotics as soon as possible.
Higher percentages are better.
- PN-4. Smoking Cessation Advice/Counseling
Smoking damages your lungs and can make it hard to breath. Smoking increases your chances of getting pneumonia or other chronic lung diseases like emphysema and bronchitis. Smoking is also linked to lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke, and can cause premature death. It is important for you to get information to help you quit smoking before you leave the hospital. Quitting may reduce your chance of getting pneumonia again.
Higher percentages are better.
- PN-5c. Initial Antibiotic(s) within 6 Hours After Arrival
Antibiotics are used to treat adults with pneumonia caused by bacteria. Early treatment with antibiotics can cure bacterial pneumonia and reduce the possibility of complications. This information shows the percent of patients who were given their first dose of antibiotics within 6 hours of arrival at the hospital. Patients who get pneumonia during their stay at the hospital are not counted in this measure.
Higher percentages are better.
- PN-6. Appropriate Initial Antibiotic Selection
Pneumonia is a lung infection that is usually caused by bacteria or a virus. If pneumonia is caused by bacteria, hospitals will treat the infection with antibiotics. Different bacteria are treated with different antibiotics. To learn about how hospitals use a blood test to choose the most effective treatment for pneumonia patients, refer to the Process of Care measure named Percent of Pneumonia Patients Whose Initial Emergency Room Blood Culture Was Performed Prior To The Administration Of The First Hospital Dose Of Antibiotics.
Higher percentages are better.
- PN-7. Influenza Vaccination Status
Flu shots reduce the risk of influenza, a serious and sometimes deadly lung infection that can spread quickly in a community or facility. Hospitals should check to make sure that pneumonia patients, particularly those who are age 50 or older, get a flu shot during flu season to protect them from another lung infection and to help prevent the spread of influenza.
Since a flu shot is effective for just one flu season, the period of time used to calculate this rate is the flu season (from approximately November through March), in contrast to other measures on Hospital Compare, which are generally collected throughout the year.
Higher percentages are better.