Pneumonia Quality Measures

Blood oxygenation assessment Timing of cultures Timing of antibiotic administration Length of stay Physician board certification Pneumococcal vaccination Influenza vaccination Smoking cessation advice Inpatient mortality rate Ventilator-associated pneumonia

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Pneumonia Quality Measures

Timing of Cultures

With bacterial pneumonia it is important to determine if bacteria are present in the blood or urine, and to identify appropriate antibiotics to treat the bacteria. Blood cultures are tests that detect microorganisms present in the blood. A sample of blood is kept in a controlled temperature environment on a culture plate for several days to allow microorganisms to grow and be identified. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) recommends blood cultures prior to antibiotic administration.

There is also a new urine test for pneumonia that is recommended by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). The urine test takes only 15 minutes for results, whereas it may take days for blood culture results.

At St. Mary's Hospital Medical Center, 98 percent of eligible pneumonia patients received the appropriate cultures prior to antibiotic therapy in 2006.