- Kathryn Armitage: Department of Respiratory Medicine, University of Manchester, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Community-acquired pneumonia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, and is the leading cause of death from an infectious disease. International societies have published and revised guidelines aiming to improve the management of adult community-acquired pneumonia, based on the best available evidence. The aim of this review is to compare the current guideline recommendations.
RECENT FINDINGS: Aspects of guidelines differ based on local factors including resources and antimicrobial factors, as well as the differences in interpretation of existing evidence.
SUMMARY: The lack of robust evidence behind aspects of guideline recommendations as well as the lack of adherence to published guidelines both need to be addressed if the management of community-acquired pneumonia is to be improved.