Community-acquired pneumonia: process of care studies

Ensuring administration of first dose of antibiotics within the golden hour of management in neonates with sepsis

Administration of first dose of antibiotics within the golden hour in infants with sepsis is critical. Delays can increase mortality. During our observations as part of antibiotic stewardship programme in inborn neonatal unit, we found a significant delay in the administration of first dose of antibiotics from the decision time. We set up a quality improvement team to improve the proportion of neonates with sepsis, who received first dose of antibiotics within 1 hour of decision, from 0% to 80% over 2 months.We included inborn neonates requiring initiation or upgradation of antibiotics for a diagnosis of sepsis, from 1 May to 30 November 2018. We assessed the root causes behind delayed administration and found the lack of immediate availability of blood culture bottles, lack of awareness and busy clinical area as the major contributors to the delays in first dose. Various change ideas like ensuring prior availability of blood culture bottles, sensitising nursing staff and resident doctors, utilisation of hospital attendants and sharing responsibility of drawing culture between team members were tested through plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles.The proportion of neonates receiving first dose of antibiotics within 1 hour increased from 0% to 91% over the study period and was sustained at 92% after 6 months. There was a significant reduction in median (IQR) time interval between decision and first dose from 120 (100-290) to 45 (30-60) min (p<0.001) and after 6 months, it further decreased to 30 (30-45) min. We achieved significant improvement in administration of first dose of antibiotics within 1 hour of decision, by using system analysis and testing change ideas in sequential PDSA cycles.

Antibiotic timing in neonates with suspected hospital-acquired infections

There exists general agreement within neonatology that antibiotics should be administered promptly to neonates with possible bacterial sepsis and meningitis. We initiated a series of quality improvement cycles designed to reduce delays in the initiation of antibiotic therapy to less than 2 hours when hospital-acquired infection (HAI) was suspected. All infants in this study were in neonatal intensive care (level II or III) who were started on antibiotics for a suspected HAI (defined as an infection that occurred 72 hours after admission to the NICU) were audited. Through a series of quality improvement cycles, we analyzed sources of delays in the initiation of antibiotic therapy from the time the order was written through administration. In subsequent cycles, we intervened to reduce delays through education, standardize the evaluation process, and develop an online ordering system that streamlined the workflow patterns in the nurseries and pharmacy. Using a prospective cohort design, we compared antibiotic delivery times after each process improvement cycle. Antibiotic delivery time was reduced from a median of 137.5 minutes to 75 minutes and variation of practice was reduced in terms of standard deviation and range (P < .001). The use of computerized physician order entry significantly improved the writing of STAT orders (P < .0001). A systematic analysis of workflow patterns and efficiencies, coupled with improvement cycles targeting delays and development of a computerized physician order entry system, allowed us to improve antibiotic delivery time in neonates with suspected HAI in an intensive care nursery system.

Elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia: optimal treatment strategies

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common infectious disease that still causes substantial morbidity and mortality. Elderly people are frequently affected, and several issues related to care of this condition in the elderly have to be considered. This article reviews current recommendations of guidelines with a special focus on aspects of the care of elderly patients with CAP. The most common pathogen in CAP is still Streptococcus pneumoniae, followed by other pathogens such as Haemophilus influenzae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydophila pneumoniae and Legionella species. Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing problem, especially with regard to macrolide-resistant S. pneumoniae and fluoroquinolone-resistant strains. With regard to β-lactam antibacterials, resistance by H. influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis is important, as is the emergence of multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The main management decisions should be guided by the severity of disease, which can be assessed by validated clinical risk scores such as CURB-65, a tool for measuring the severity of pneumonia based on assessment of confusion, serum urea, respiratory rate and blood pressure in patients aged ≥65 years. For the treatment of low-risk pneumonia, an aminopenicillin such as amoxicillin with or without a β-lactamase inhibitor is frequently recommended. Monotherapy with macrolides is also possible, although macrolide resistance is of concern. When predisposing factors for special pathogens are present, a β-lactam antibacterial combined with a β-lactamase inhibitor, or the combination of a β-lactam antibacterial, a β-lactamase inhibitor and a macrolide, may be warranted. If possible, patients who have undergone previous antibacterial therapy should receive drug classes not previously used. For hospitalized patients with non-severe pneumonia, a common recommendation is empirical antibacterial therapy with an aminopenicillin in combination with a β-lactamase inhibitor, or with fluoroquinolone monotherapy. With proven Legionella pneumonia, a combination of β-lactams with a fluoroquinolone or a macrolide is beneficial. In severe pneumonia, ureidopenicillins with β-lactamase inhibitors, broad-spectrum cephalosporins, macrolides and fluoroquinolones are used. A combination of a broad-spectrum β-lactam antibacterial (e.g. cefotaxime or ceftriaxone), piperacillin/tazobactam and a macrolide is mostly recommended. In patients with a predisposition for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a combination of piperacillin/tazobactam, cefepime, imipenem or meropenem and levofloxacin or ciprofloxacin is frequently used. Treatment duration of more than 7 days is not generally recommended, except for proven infections with P. aeruginosa, for which 15 days of treatment appears to be appropriate. Further care issues in all hospitalized patients are timely administration of antibacterials, oxygen supply in case of hypoxaemia, and fluid management and dose adjustments according to kidney function. The management of elderly patients with CAP is a challenge. Shifts in antimicrobial resistance and the availability of new antibacterials will change future clinical practice. Studies investigating new methods to detect pathogens, determine the optimal antimicrobial regimen and clarify the duration of treatment may assist in further optimizing the management of elderly patients with CAP.

Administration of first hospital antibiotics for community-acquired pneumonia: does timeliness affect outcomes?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Associations between processes of care for hospitalized community-acquired pneumonia patients and clinical outcomes are important because of the high incidence of such admissions and substantial related mortality. Several studies have examined these associations.

RECENT FINDINGS

Large retrospective studies of older patients have demonstrated associations between time to first dose as short as 4 h and length of stay and mortality during and after hospitalization. Results of smaller studies have been less consistent. The association appears to be strongest among older patients who have not received antibiotics prior to arrival at the hospital.

SUMMARY

A significant and causal relationship appears to exist between antibiotic timing and improved outcomes, especially among older patients. Even modest improvements in timeliness of antibiotic administration could impact a substantial number of lives because of the high incidence of community-acquired pneumonia hospitalization.

Improving the implementation of community-acquired pneumonia guidelines

Best practice guidelines define the essential elements of care. They can improve the treatment of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Although guidelines advocating these elements are readily avail-able, the care received by patients with CAP remains heterogeneous. In the present report, the use of a -computer-based assistant to decision-making was -successfully developed and tested, improving the application of well-known guidelines.

Community-acquired pneumonia

This seminar reviews important features and management issues of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) that are especially relevant to immunocompetent adults in light of new information about cause, clinical course, diagnostic testing, treatment, and prevention. Streptococcus pneumoniae remains the most important pathogen; however, emerging resistance of this organism to antimicrobial agents has affected empirical treatment of CAP. Atypical pathogens have been quite commonly identified in several prospective studies. The clinical significance of these pathogens (with the exception of Legionella spp) is not clear, partly because of the lack of rapid, standardised tests. Diagnostic evaluation of CAP is important for appropriate assessment of severity of illness and for establishment of the causative agent in the disease. Until better rapid diagnostic methods are developed, most patients will be treated empirically. Antimicrobials continue to be the mainstay of treatment, and decisions about specific agents are guided by several considerations that include spectrum of activity, and pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles. Several factors have been shown to be associated with a beneficial clinical outcome in patients with CAP. These factors include administration of antimicrobials in a timely manner, choice of antibiotic therapy, and the use of a critical pneumonia pathway. The appropriate use of vaccines against pneumococcal disease and influenza should be encouraged. Several guidelines for management of CAP have recently been published, the recommendations of which are reviewed.

Evaluation of outcomes in community-acquired pneumonia: a guide for patients, physicians, and policy-makers

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a key target for research and quality improvement in acute medicine. However, many of the outcome measures used in prognostic and antibiotic studies are not validated and do not capture features of outcome that are important to patients. Substitutes for traditional outcome measures include a recently validated patient-based symptom questionnaire (the CAP-Sym) and process-of-care measures. The interpretation of outcomes also depends on the quality of the study design and methods used. This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of outcome, process-of-care, and economic measures in CAP and the interpretation of these measures in randomised and observational studies. A core set of measures for use in clinical CAP research and performance measurement is proposed.