A Controlled Trial of a Critical Pathway for Treatment of Community-Acquired Pneumonia

Abstract

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common and serious illness. Each year in the United States, approximately 15% of the 600,000 affected people who are admitted to the hospital die of the disease.¹ Analyses of administrative data show that large variations exist in admission rates, length of hospital stay, and use of institutional resources.^2,3 Lack of a common approach to the diagnosis and treatment of CAP is often cited as an explanation for these findings.^4,5 Since the cost to society for the treatment of CAP is high,⁶ interventions that increase the efficiency of care are desirable.