Adult community-acquired pneumonia is a frequent management problem, particularly with an ageing population. Presently used guidelines are useful both for risk assessment and for treatment. Comorbidities, particularly cardiopulmonary disease, physical findings and lab findings are factored into risk assessment to produce a score which can be used to determine need for admission and to guide empiric antibiotic therapy.
These guidelines are based primarily on the Province of Alberta Clinical Practice Guidelines revised in 2006. Coverage is not comprehensive, and emphasis is on vaccine prevention, risk assessment, need for hospitalization, and treatment.