RT Journal
A1 Sharpe BA
T1 Guideline-recommended antibiotics in community-acquired pneumonia: Not perfect, but good
JF Archives of Internal Medicine
JO Archives of Internal Medicine
YR 2009
FD September 12
VO 169
IS 16
SP 1462
OP 1464
DO 10.1001/archinternmed.2009.272
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2009.272
AB 
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common, morbid, and mortal disease, and appropriate antibiotic therapy remains the cornerstone of management. Patients hospitalized with CAP can be infected with both typical and atypical bacterial organisms.1 Most evidence indicates that clinical features (signs and symptoms) at presentation are not specific enough to consistently predict the causative agent.1 Therefore, absent unique epidemiologic characteristics, the overwhelming majority of patients must be treated empirically. To improve the quality of care and decrease practice variability, professional societies have published guidelines for the management of CAP, including recommending specific empirical antibiotic regimens.