Quality standard

Quality statement 5: Antibiotic therapy within 4 hours in hospital

Quality statement 5: Antibiotic therapy within 4 hours in hospital

Quality statement

Adults with community‑acquired pneumonia who are admitted to hospital start antibiotic therapy within 4 hours of presentation.

Rationale

Starting appropriate antibiotic therapy as soon as possible (and within 4 hours of presentation) is important for treating adults with community‑acquired pneumonia who are admitted to hospital. Evidence shows that early treatment is associated with improved clinical outcomes.

Quality measures

Structure

Evidence of local arrangements to ensure that adults with community‑acquired pneumonia who are admitted to hospital start antibiotic therapy within 4 hours of presentation.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by healthcare professionals and provider organisations, for example from clinical protocols.

Process

Proportion of hospital admissions of community‑acquired pneumonia in adults at which antibiotic therapy is started within 4 hours of presentation.

Numerator – the number in the denominator at which antibiotic therapy is started within 4 hours of presentation.

Denominator – the number of hospital admissions of community‑acquired pneumonia in adults.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by healthcare professionals and provider organisations, for example from patient records.

Outcome

Mortality due to pneumonia.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by healthcare professionals and provider organisations, for example from patient records.

What the quality statement means for different audiences

Service providers (secondary care services) ensure that adults who are admitted to hospital and diagnosed with community‑acquired pneumonia start antibiotic therapy within 4 hours of presentation.

Healthcare professionals (hospital clinicians) ensure adults who are admitted to hospital and diagnosed with community‑acquired pneumonia start antibiotic therapy within 4 hours of presentation.

Commissioners (clinical commissioning groups) commission services in which adults who are admitted to hospital and diagnosed with community‑acquired pneumonia start antibiotic therapy within 4 hours of presentation.

Adults who are admitted to hospital and diagnosed with community‑acquired pneumonia start antibiotic treatment within 4 hours of being seen.

Definition of terms used in this quality statement

Community‑acquired pneumonia

Pneumonia that is acquired outside hospital. Pneumonia that develops in a person living in a nursing or residential home is included in this definition. Pneumonia that develops in people who are immunocompromised, and terminal pneumonia associated with another disease are not included. [NICE's guideline on pneumonia in adults, terms used in this guideline, and expert opinion]