Pneumonia Care
Ensuring extraordinary care
Pneumonia is caused by a viral or bacterial infection that fills your lungs with mucus. This lowers the oxygen level in your blood.
Symptoms of pneumonia can include the following:
- Difficulty breathing
- “Wet” cough. Your mucus may look green or bloody.
- Chest pain
- Fever and chills
- Fatigue
“Pneumonia can be extremely dangerous and even life threatening. We stress to our patients that they get annual flu shots. Taking proper precautions throughout their daily lives are also important measures to avoid infections that cause pneumonia. Eating a balanced diet, getting plenty of rest and practicing good hand hygiene are always encouraged.”
Mitch Brock,
Director of Respiratory Care
How is East Jefferson General Hospital performing in pneumonia care?
The individual measures below are how hospitals throughout the United States are measured.
Percent of Pneumonia Patients Whose Initial Emergency Room Blood Culture Was Performed Prior To The Administration Of The First Hospital Dose Of Antibiotics
Description of measure
A blood culture tells what kind of medicine will work best to treat your pneumonia.
Why is this important?
Different types of bacteria can cause pneumonia. A blood culture is a test that can help your health care provider identify which bacteria may have caused your pneumonia, and which antibiotic should be prescribed. A blood culture is not always needed, but for patients who are first seen in the hospital emergency department, it is important for the accuracy of the test that blood culture be conducted before any antibiotics are started. It is also important to start antibiotics as soon as possible.
Percent of Pneumonia Patients Given the Most Appropriate Initial Antibiotic(s)
Description of measure
Antibiotics are medicines that treat infection, and each one is different. Hospitals should choose the antibiotics that best treat the infection type for each pneumonia patient.
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 will treat the infection with antibiotics. Different bacteria are treated with different antibiotics. To learn about how hospitals use a blood test to choose the most effective treatment for pneumonia patients, refer to the Process of Care measure named 'Percent of Pneumonia Patients Whose Initial Emergency Room Blood Culture Was Performed Prior To The Administration Of The First Hospital Dose Of Antibiotics'.
