National study of antibiotic use in emergency department visits for pneumonia, 1993 through 2008.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

The Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) and American Thoracic Society (ATS) developed guidelines for the management of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP); however, there are sparse data on actual rates of antibiotic use in the emergency department (ED) setting.

Methods

Data were obtained from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) for ED visits during 1993 through 2008 for adults with a diagnosis of pneumonia.

Results

During the study period there were an estimated 23,252,000 pneumonia visits, representing 1.8% of all ED visits. The visit rate for pneumonia during this 16-year period may have increased (p trend = 0.055). Overall, 66% of adult patients with a primary diagnosis of pneumonia had documentation of an antibiotic ad

SUBMITTER: Neuman MI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3356933 | biostudies-literature | 2012 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature