Improving inpatient management of community-acquired pneumonia in remote northern Australia

[Extract] In 2003, the Antibiotic Writing Group of Therapeutic Guidelines Limited released an Australian guideline for the management of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP),1 which used the Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI)2 as a prognostic indicator. In December 2003, an initiative was undertaken in the Kimberley in far north-western Australia to improve the management of inpatients with CAP. This involved disseminating and implementing a regional CAP guideline incorporating the national guideline.1 This study aimed to document the nature and burden of CAP requiring inpatient care in the Kimberley and the influence of this initiative on CAP management