Management strategies for community acquired pneumonia.

The past decade has witnessed dramatic changes in the etiology, diagnosis, and management of community acquired pneumonia (CAP). Due to the wide variation in practice patterns, physicians and professional societies have taken the lead in developing practice guidelines. To better understand the range of these multiple protocols, various stages of the disease and treatment are described and compared. Experts agree that CAP management should include: defining a correct diagnosis, identifying high risk populations in order to determine the severity of the disease, recommending appropriate treatment therapies, and obtaining positive and cost beneficial outcomes.