Diagnosis and management of pneumonia and bronchitis in outpatient primary care practices

摘要: Aims: To understand which clinical criteria physicians use to diagnose pneumonia compared bronchitis and upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). Methods: Retrospective chart review of adults diagnosed with pneumonia, bronchitis, or URTI. Results: Logistic regression analysis identified rales, a temperature > 100°F (37.8°C), chest pain, dyspnoea, rhonchi, heart rate, rhinorrhoea, as the best explanation for variation in diagnosis either alternative diagnoses (R 2 = 59.3), rales explaining 30% variation. Rales, predicted ordering x-ray 20.0). However, 35% (59/175) patients had negative x-ray. Abnormal breath sounds were predictors prescribing antibiotics 38%). A significant number acute (93% excluding sinusitis) URTI (42%) given antibiotics. Conclusions: The presence abnormal pneumonia.