Community-acquired pneumonia in adults

ABSTRACT

Pneumonia is a disease associated with morbidity and mortality around the world. Although the disease can occur at any age, the very young and elderly are those most likely to surfer a poor outcome. There are many causative organisms, and the illness can result in varying degrees of severity, ranging from a mild illness to a more serious one which may result in admission to hospital. This article focuses on community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in adults and hopes to give nurses and non-medical prescribers greater confidence in assessing patients and enabling earlier recognition and treatment of this potentially fatal disease.