Outpatient treatment of pneumonia in a setting with and without an infectious disease doctor

AIM: To compare the outpatient treatment of community acquired pneumonia (CAP) by infectious disease doctors (IDDs) and doctors of other specialties (nIDDs). METHODS: We retrospectively identified 600 outpatients with CAP: 300 treated by IDDs and 300 by nIDDs in two tertiary hospitals during 2019. The two groups were compared in terms of adherence to guidelines, antibiotic group prescription, frequency of combined treatment, and treatment duration. RESULTS: IDDs prescribed significantly more first-line treatment (P < 0.001) and alternative treatment (P = 0.008). NIDDs prescribed more reasonable (P < 0.001) and unnecessary (P = 0.002) second-line treatment, and inadequate treatment (P = 0.004). IDDs significantly more frequently prescribed amoxicillin (P < 0.001) for typical and doxycycline (P = 0.045) for atypical CAP, while nIDDs significantly more frequently prescribed amoxicillin-clavulanate (P < 0.001) for typical and fluoroquinolones for both typical (P < 0.001) and atypical (P < 0.001) CAP. No significant differences were found in the frequency of combined treatment, which exceeded 50% in both groups, or in treatment duration. CONCLUSIONS: Outpatient treatment of CAP in the absence of IDDs meant more broad-spectrum antibiotic prescription and more disregard for national guidelines. Our results highlight the need for antibiotic stewardship, especially in settings with no IDDs.