Guideline-concordant therapy for CAP is associated with improved health outcomes and diminished resource use in adults. The mechanisms underlying this finding remain speculative and warrant further study, but our findings nonetheless support compliance with CAP clinical practice guidelines as a benchmark of quality of care.

Prior vaccination against pneumococcus is associated with improved survival, decreased chance of respiratory failure or other complications, and decreased length of stay among hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia. These observations reinforce current efforts to improve compliance with existing pneumococcal vaccination recommendations for adults.

Using a large cohort of patients treated at community and teaching hospitals, we derived and validated a prediction rule for pneumonia after CABG. This index may prove to be useful in prioritizing receipt of preventive interventions.

Background: Influenza vaccination has been shown to reduce illness and all-cause mortality in vulnerable populations through the prevention of influenza infection. Attenuation of the severity of illness by vaccination has been reported for respiratory tract infections due to bacterial pathogens and would represent an important additional health benefit of influenza vaccination. We evaluated the impact of prior influenza vaccination on in-hospital mortality and other health outcomes among hospitalized adults with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Methods: Consecutive individuals hospitalized with CAP during "influenza season" (November to April, 1999-2003) at hospitals operated by Tenet HealthCare were identified using a database constructed to improve quality of patient care. Associations between vaccination status and all-cause in-hospital mortality were evaluated using logistic regression models.

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