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Pneumonia is a serious condition caused by a viral or bacterial infection that fills your lungs with mucus. This lowers the oxygen level in your blood and can also lead to death especially in the very young and the elderly populations. Selecting and administering appropriate antibiotics in a timely manner and providing patients with oxygen as needed are evidence-based treatment regimens that improve patient outcomes. Preventative measures such as influenza and pneumococcal vaccines and smoking cessation counseling are also key care measures that help reduce the incidence of pneumonia among the patient population most vulnerable to this infection.
One way to evaluate the care of patients diagnosed with pneumonia in the hospital is to look at the percentage of patients receiving each of the measures appropriate for them. The goal for all medical facilities is to provide all of these measures to 100 percent of eligible (appropriate) patients.
All Mayo Clinic sites have implemented the following measures to improve care of hospital patients with pneumonia:
The quality measures listed in the table below are known as the "standards of care" for patients diagnosed with pneumonia in the hospital. This list includes the medical care widely accepted as the most appropriate form of treatment for the majority of hospitalized patients diagnosed with pneumonia.
Standards of care for inpatient pneumonia |
An explanation of this care |
|---|---|
Percent of patients given oxygen assessment during hospital stay |
This test measures the level of oxygen in a patient's blood, which allows care providers to assess the patient's lung function. |
Percent of eligible patients given pneumonia vaccine screening and administration |
Screening for pneumonia vaccine and administering this vaccine to eligible patients may reduce the incidence of infection. |
Percent of patients given blood testing for pneumonia before antibiotics while in care of emergency department |
Administering a blood test for bacteria associated with pneumonia while the patient is being evaluated in the emergency room will facilitate more timely treatment of infections. This test is not required for all patients. |
Percent of patients given smoking cessation advice |
Smoking is linked to pneumonia. Quitting may help prevent or reduce the risk of pneumonia infection. |
Percent of patients given antibiotics for pneumonia within 4 hours of admission |
Administering antibiotics within this timeframe has been shown to improve patient outcomes. |
Percent of patients given appropriate selection of antibiotics for pneumonia |
Selecting the most appropriate antibiotics has been shown to improve patient outcomes. |
Percent of eligible patients receiving influenza vaccine screening and administration during the flu season |
Screening for and administering the influenza vaccine to eligible patients has been shown to reduce the incidence of pneumonia infection. |
A review of this data over time shows that Mayo Clinic has improved the delivery of all recommended services to patients admitted with pneumonia to our hospitals. As we continue to develop high reliability systems to support our practice we anticipate these measures will continue to improve. It is also important to note that Mayo has many care guidelines in place designed to provide the highest quality of care to patients. In some situations these guidelines might be in conflict with the approved pneumonia care measures (e.g. Mayo has stricter guidelines for determining which patients would be safe in receiving a vaccine). Some of these care guidelines affect Mayo's compliance with these specific care measures.
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