Accreditation

Pneumonia standards may cause overmedication

Accreditation Connection, March 19, 2007

Researchers looking at pneumonia standards implemented by The Joint Commission and CMS in 2004 worry that the guidelines are unrealistic and may contribute to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, reported MSN.com.

The standards stipulate that emergency room (ER) doctors administer antibiotics within four hours to adult patients with pneumonia symptoms.

The study looked at 152 ER patients who met the eligibility for receiving the antibiotics. Sixty-five percent of this population received the antibiotics, a rate much lower than the compliance standards many hospitals expect. The study, published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, says many of the patients receiving the antibiotics may not have pneumonia and thus do not need the medication.

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