Source: Annual Congress 2004 - Emphysema and oxygen therapy
Disease area: Respiratory critical care, Respiratory infections

Abstract

Respiratory diseases form the largest proportion of acute admissions to the Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) in University Hospital Aintree and community aquired pneumonia is a common acute presentation to the MAU.
The aims of this audit were to determine the timing and type of the first dose of antibiotic therapy, whether antibiotics were received in the community prior to hospitalisation, the timing of the chest Xray relative to their admission time, and whether patients received or were prescribed oxygen on the prescription chart on the MAU.
Between the period December 2003 and February 2004, 30 patients with acute community aquired pneumonia were included in the audit. All patients had a clinical history suggestive of pneumonia and radiological changes of pneumonia. Patients with COPD were excluded. A simple proforma was used to collect the information.
Results: The majority of patients received the first dose of antibiotic within 6 hours of admission. 4 patients received antibiotics in the community prior to hospitalisation. Oxygen is never prescribed on the drug prescription chart although two thirds of patients were receiving oxygen.The majority of patients underwent a chest Xray within 4 hours of arrival in hospital although this ranged from 16 minutes to14 hours 52 minutes.
Recommendations: Examine the patient pathway to identify why variations in Xray timing and antibiotic administration are present. Oxygen therapy should be prescribed on the drug prescription chart in a designated preprinted area.

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Citations should be made in the following way:
S. Chawla, A. J. Crowther (Liverpool, United Kingdom). Audit of the prescription of antibiotic and oxygen therapy and chest Xray requests in community aquired pneumonia in the medical assessment unit. Eur Respir J 2004; 24: Suppl. 48, 1516

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