Non-Ventilator Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia

Non-Ventilator Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia

This actionable evidence-based practice blueprint provides a checklist for clinicians to create an action plan to prevent non-ventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia and ensure best patient care. This document is revised as needed to incorporate the latest best practices and gold standard of care. The e-book is available free of charge to anyone. © 2022 Patient Safety Movement Foundation.

Contributors:

PSMF Team PSMF Team

The Challenge

The microbiome of the oral cavity contains 200 billion microbes and over 700 different species. These pathogens colonize in the dental plaque, and if the patient aspirates, the pathogens can relocate into the lungs. It has been shown that the resulting hospital-acquired pneumonia can be decreased by 70% through inexpensive, easily integrated preventive measures such as oral care, respiratory exercises, and mobility. Yet hospital-acquired pneumonia is still the #1 hospital-acquired infection (HAI), with non-ventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP) representing over 60% of cases. The mortality for NV-HAP hovers around 13–30%, far exceeding other HAI mortality rates. Even those who are young and traditionally healthy are at risk. To reduce patient harm and death from NV-HAP, healthcare organizations can implement the actionable patient safety protocols outlined in this blueprint at relatively little cost.