Guideline for antibacterial therapy of adult community-acquired pneumonia in the emergency department under the physician-pharmacist collaborative management model

Abstract

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in adults (≥18 years old) is the most common infectious disease encountered in emergency departments. Its clinical complexity and the need for prompt treatment decisions pose significant challenges for patient management. The physician-pharmacist collaborative management (PPCM) model, which optimizes drug therapy regimens through collaboration between physicians and clinical pharmacists, has demonstrated strong clinical value in practice. However, the lack of standardized national guidelines for the application of the PPCM model in emergency departments in China has hampered its widespread adoption. This guideline is developed based on evidence-based medicine and clinical practice experience, with a focus on the application of the PPCM model in the management of CAP in emergency settings. It outlines the significance of the PPCM model, its applicable scenarios, the respective roles of emergency physicians and clinical pharmacists, and its practical implementation in the antimicrobial treatment of CAP patients. In addition, the guideline proposes standardized implementation processes and clinical pathways. By promoting the PPCM model, the expert panel aims to standardize the use of antimicrobial agents in the emergency treatment of CAP, reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance, and improve patient outcomes.

Keywords

Antibacterial therapy / Clinical pharmacists / Community-acquired pneumonia / Emergency / Physician-pharmacist collaborative management

Conflict of interest statement

Chuanzhu Lv is an associate editor of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine and Xin Li is an editorial board member of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine. The article was subject to the journal’s standard procedures, with peer review handled independently of this associate editor, this editorial board member, and their research groups. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Author contributions

Lv C, Zhang G, Ma Y, Gu W, and Guo W contributed to the study design. Gu W, Wang S, Wang L, and Liu Y contributed to the liter-ature review. Gu W, Wang S, Wang L, and Liu Y contributed to the draft of the manuscript. Cao Y, Chen B, Chen X, Chen X, Chen Y, Deng Y, et al. contributed to the revision of the manuscript.

Funding

This work was supported by Sanming Project of Medicine in Shenzhen (no. SZZYSM202411012) and Beijing Clinical Key Specialty Project (2023).

Ethical approval of studies and informed consent

Not applicable.

Acknowledgments

None.

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