What this indicator means

Pneumonia is caused by different kinds of bacteria. Blood cultures help healthcare providers identify which bacteria caused the pneumonia, and determine what type of antibiotic to prescribe. Early and accurate indentification of the bacteria is important to the clinical outcome for patients with pneumonia. This indicator measures the percentage of patients who received a blood culture before an antibiotic.

 

What this indicator means

Early and accurate treatment of pneumonia reduces complications and increases successful outcomes. This indicator shows the percentage of patients who received the first dose of antibiotics within four hours of arrival at the hospital. This indicator does not include patients who contracted pneumonia during hospitalization.

 

What this indicator means

Assessing the amount of oxygen in the blood should take place within 24 hours of arriving at the hospital to determine whether oxygen therapy is needed. This assessment may include an arterial blood gas (ABG) or pulse oximetry (attaching electrodes to a finger, earlobe, or other skin fold). This indicator measures the percentage of patients who received an oxygenation assessment during the first 24 hours of hospitalization.

 

What this indicator means

Pneumococcal vaccination helps prevent cases of pneumonia and lowers the risk of complications. This indicator measures the percentage of patients given a vaccination against pneumonia during their hospitalization.

 

What this indicator means

Smoking damages lung tissue and increases the risk of pneumonia, emphysema and bronchitis. Smoking also causes lung cancer, heart disease, heart attack, heart failure, stroke and death. This indicator measures the percentage of patients who received counseling about quitting smoking while they were hospitalized.