Management of community-acquired pneumonia: An appropriate-use tool

To minimize the morbidity, mortality, and health care costs of community-acquired pneumonia, empiric treatment must often be initiated before the causative pathogen can be identified. The choice of therapeutic agent and the decision to hospitalize must be based on factors including the patient's physical condition and coexisting illnesses, as well as the probability of a resistant pathogen. Treatment guidelines have been established by the American Thoracic Society and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. To aid the physician in determining appropriate empiric treatment, we present here an appropriate-use tool, composed of easy-to-use treatment algorithms based on those guidelines.