Percent of Pneumonia Patients Given the Most Appropriate Initial Antibiotic
Why Is This Important?
Pneumonia is a lung infection that is usually caused by bacteria or a virus. If pneumonia is caused by bacteria, hospitals treat the infection with antibiotics. Different bacteria are treated with different antibiotics.
About This Graph
This graph shows the percent of UMass Memorial Medical Center patients who were given an appropriate antibiotic for their pneumonia as compared to other Massachusetts and U.S. hospitals. Higher percentages are better. (Graph data: Jan 2011 - Dec 2011.)
What Are We Doing to Improve?
We have updated clinical guidelines and physician orders to reflect recent professional society and Medicare recommendations for individuals with pneumonia. We have improved significantly in this area and will continue to update guidelines as new recommendations emerge.