Implications for practice and further research
Nurse across the continuum can ensure that patient with complication pneumonia are identified and properly cared for. Licensed practical nurse and registered nurse working in tertiary settings should regularly obtain respiratory rate and pulse oximetry reading in children with respiratory complaints, as these are reliable indicators to assess the severity of disease. The providers caring for Eddie, the small child in the case study above, certainly used these laboratory values to inform their therapeutic plan. Pediatric providers, including advanced practice nurses, must be cognizant of the increased incidence of complicated pneumonia and stay informed regarding current guidelines and recommendations for practice. Eddie’s providers did not expect his infection to evolve into a complicated pneumonia and this likely led to a delay in diagnosis. Nurse working in public health settings should help to monitor the incidence and prevalence of complicated pneumonias in their communities and plan community interventions accordingly. Further research should examine the incidence of complicated pneumonia as well as the most common causative agents as these have recently evolved due to the implication of H. influenza type b and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. Family, further studies need to be done to determine the best treatment modalities so that patients like Eddie receive the best care possible