Around one in twenty patients admitted to the Medical Assessment Unit at the Royal Derby Hospital will have a diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia, a major cause of morbidity and mortality. An even higher number will be admitted with other lower respiratory tract infections such as complicated influenza and acute bronchitis.
At the Royal Derby Hospital we are committed to improving the outcomes of patients with pneumonia (both in terms of reducing mortality and shortening length of hospital stay), and to improving the processes of care for patients.
Current initiatives to achieve these goals include:
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Annual audit of care and outcomes of patients with pneumonia as part of the British Thoracic Society community-acquired pneumonia audit, comparing our standards with other Trusts;
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Implementation of the British Thoracic Society care bundles of evidence-based interventions that have each been proven to improve outcomes;
- Review by a Consultant Respiratory Physician within 24 hours for all patients admitted with lower respiratory tract infections, seven days a week, 365 days a year;
- Introduction of an antibiotic order set via the electronic prescribing system to improve guideline-concordant antibiotic prescribing;
- Participating in research to develop novel treatments and care pathways.
In the future, the Royal Derby Respiratory Unit hopes to develop a dedicated ward area for respiratory infection, staffed by physicians and nurses with an interest in the subject, in order to concentrate expertise, and to further expand links with primary care in order to facilitate timely and appropriate review of patients to reduce hospital admissions.
Information for clinicians
A summary of the national guidance for pneumonia is available here.
The latest guidance for influenza infection can be found here.
