Blood Cultures Before First Antibiotic
for Pneumonia Patients

HealthONE Hospitals in Denver, Colorado

Timeframe: January 2011 through March 2011
(Most Recent Data Available)

Timeframe: October 2009 through September 2010
(Yearly National and State Comparisons)

What Does This Measure?

The percentage of pneumonia patients who had a blood culture taken prior to receiving antibiotics.

Why Is This Important?

Before a patient receives any antibiotics for pneumonia, it is important that blood samples be taken to test for the type of infection. These blood cultures help determine the most effective antibiotic to treat the strain of pneumonia identified.

What Are We Doing to Improve Our Performance?

HealthONE hospitals have implemented several initiatives to improve our performance on this measure. These include:

• Electronic medication records
• Evidence-based medicine
• Nurse and physician training
• Patient safety and quality committee