Evaluation of a critical pathway for pneumonia

Pneumonia is the third most frequent admission diagnosis at Macomb Hospital Center. The average length of stay for this diagnosis (DRGs 89 and 90) was 9.07 days. After the initiation of a critical pathway that begins in the emergency department, the average length of stay decreased to 7.11 days. Quality of care also improved in two areas: the time elapsed before delivery of antibiotics and availability of X-ray reports. This article reviews the implementation and results of the critical pathway for pneumonia.