Compliance with guideline recommendations in the management of patients with hospitalized community-acquired pneumonia

Compliance with guidelines in the empirical treatment for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is very important to increase treatment success and reduce mortality. This study aimed to determine compliance with guideline recommendations for CAP and define the role of the clinical pharmacist (CP). Patients diagnosed with CAP were evaluated retrospectively between January 2018 and January 2020 and prospectively between February 2020 and February 2021. Compliance with guidelines was evaluated according to the local, national (Turkish Thoracic Society), and international (American Thoracic Society and Infectious Disease Society of America, European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases) guidelines. A total of 751 patients (423 in the retrospective and 328 in the prospective period) were included. It was determined that the 30-day mortality and length of stay were higher in patients who were not treated according to the guidelines. The compliance for empirical treatments was 16.3%-59.1% and 7.8%-30.1% in retrospective and prospective periods, respectively. During the prospective period, a total of 603 recommendations were made by CP, and 578 (95.9%) were accepted and implemented. In the prospective period, treatment duration was shortened, inappropriate fluoroquinolone use was decreased, the switch to oral treatment was increased, and the number of potential drug-drug interactions was decreased (p < 0.001). Compliance with guidelines is essential to be improved to reduce mortality, shorten the length of stay, determine the appropriate antimicrobial duration, and reduce the use of fluoroquinolones and broad-spectrum antibiotics unless necessary. CP intervention contributes to the rational selection of antimicrobials, limiting drug-drug interactions, avoiding toxicities, and compliance with guidelines.