ABSTRACT
Health care-associated pneumonia is a relatively new classification of pneumonia that includes communitydwelling
pneumonia patients having contact with the health care system. Current data indicate that health
care-associated pneumonia patients present with more severe disease, are more likely to be infected with
drug-resistant pathogens, and suffer increased mortality compared with community-acquired pneumonia
patients. Guidelines recommend that these patients receive empiric antibiotics similar to those recommended
for nosocomial pneumonia; however, it is not currently known if outcomes are improved when
health care-associated pneumonia patients are treated with these therapies. In addition, the individual health
care-associated pneumonia risk factors are based on limited data and are a poor predictor of patients likely
to be infected with drug-resistant pathogens. Many questions remain on how to most appropriately care for
this growing group of pneumonia patients. This review is an evidence-based discussion of current health
care-associated pneumonia data, the individual health care-associated pneumonia risk factors, and limitations
and additional considerations for the health care-associated pneumonia classification system.
©