The Australian journal of rural health
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Aust J Rural Health · Apr 2017
Management of community-acquired pneumonia in an Australian regional hospital.
Current management of hospitalised patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in an Australian regional hospital in accordance with the recommended guidelines is unknown. The prescription rate of inappropriate antibiotic therapy was measured and analysed. ⋯ In an Australian regional hospital, ceftriaxone and azithromycin were the predominant combination used at 56%, demonstrating that mild CAP was frequently overtreated. Mild CAP was eight times more likely to be treated as severe CAP (odds ratio = 8.2 (95% confidence interval, 1.7-40.3) P < 0.009). There is a need for a simple yet effective strategy to be introduced to rationalise treatment and investigation of CAP in this setting.