• Tai Joon An, Jun-Pyo Myong, Yun-Hee Lee, Sang Ok Kwon, Eun Kyung Shim, Ji Hyeon Shin, Hyoung Kyu Yoon, and Sung Hwan Jeong.
• Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
• J. Korean Med. Sci. 2022 Aug 1; 37 (30): e234.

BackgroundPneumonia, which is the third leading cause of death in South Korea, is continuously increasing with the aging society. The Health Insurance Review and Assessment of South Korea conducted a quality assessment (QA) for improving the outcome of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).MethodsWe conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study of hospitalized CAP in South Korea. First to third QA data were gathered into a single database. The national health insurance database was merged with the QA database for analyzing the medical claims data. Comorbidities, pneumonia severity, and pneumonia care appropriateness were calculated using Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), CURB-65, and core assessment of CAP scores (CAP scores), respectively.ResultsOverall, 54,307 patients were enrolled. The CAP scores significantly improved on QA program implementation (P < 0.001). All the variables demonstrated an association with in-hospital mortality, hospital length of stay (LOS), and 30-day mortality in the univariate analyses. Following the adjustments, higher CCI and CURB-65 scores were associated with higher in-hospital mortality, longer hospital LOS, and higher 30-day mortality. Male sex was associated with higher in-hospital/30-day mortality and shorter hospital LOS. Higher CAP scores were associated with shorter hospital LOS (P < 0.001). Upon QA program implementation, in-hospital mortality (P < 0.001), hospital LOS (P < 0.001), and 30-day mortality (P < 0.001) improved.ConclusionContinuing QA program is effective in improving the clinical outcomes of hospitalized CAP.© 2022 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.

12 keywords...

hide…