NPS

NPS - The Caption Project

Judicious use of antibiotics is as much a concern within hospitals as in primary care. Community-acquired pneumonia: towards improving outcomes nationally (CAPTION) [16] is a national project, funded by NPS, due for completion by the end of 2005. It aims to optimise antibiotic prescribing and improve patient outcomes by implementing use of the PSI and guideline-compliant antibiotic prescribing in the emergency departments of 40 Australian hospitals.

Patients with CAP discharged from hospital may be referred to their GPs for follow-up. In the case of low-risk patients discharged by the emergency department, the GP should be contacted to arrange review within 24 hours to guard against a worsening condition. In most of these cases the hospital will prescribe and/or dispense oral antibiotics. As guidelines are implemented more widely, GPs will see more patients discharged on the recommended dual therapy.

Thirty-seven Australian hospital emergency departments participated in the Community-acquired pneumonia: towards improving outcomes nationally (CAPTION) project, completed in December 2005. The project aimed to optimise antibiotic prescribing and improve patient outcomes by implementing use of the PSI and guideline-compliant antibiotic prescribing. Compared with baseline, results showed a 3–4-fold increase in the rate of documented PSI use and a 1.5-fold increase in rate of guideline-compliant antibiotic prescribing. [24]