COVID-19 rapid guideline: antibiotics for pneumonia in adults in hospital

Excerpt

The purpose of this guideline is to ensure the best antibiotic management of suspected or confirmed bacterial pneumonia in adults in hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes people presenting to hospital with moderate to severe community-acquired pneumonia and people who develop pneumonia while in hospital. It will enable services to make the best use of NHS resources.

Where the new recommendations cover existing recommendations in the NICE guidelines on pneumonia (community-acquired): antimicrobial prescribing and pneumonia (hospital-acquired): antimicrobial prescribing follow the recommendations in the rapid guideline during the pandemic.

This guideline focuses on what you need to stop or start doing during the pandemic. Follow the usual professional guidelines, standards and laws (including those on equalities, safeguarding, communication and mental capacity), as described in making decisions using NICE guidelines.

See a 2-page summary of the prescribing tables to guide decision making about antibiotic choice.

On 9 October 2020, we amended the cefuroxime dosage for adults in line with the summaries of product characteristics.

This guideline is for:

1. health and care practitioners

2. health and care staff involved in planning and delivering services

3. commissioners.

The recommendations bring together:

1. existing national and international guidance and policies

2. advice from specialists working in the NHS from across the UK. These include people with expertise and experience of treating patients for the specific health conditions covered by the guidance during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

We developed this guideline using the interim process and methods for developing rapid guidelines on COVID-19 in response to the rapidly evolving situation. We will review and update the recommendations as the knowledge base develops using the interim process and methods for guidelines developed in response to health and social care emergencies.