Is the Present Definition of Health Care-Associated Pneumonia the Best Way to Define Risk of Infection with Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogens?

Health care-associated pneumonia (HCAP) is associated with an increased risk of infection with multidrug-resistant pathogens compered with community-acquired pneumonia. Recent studies suggest that the designation of HCAP is a poor predictor of resistant pathogens and that antibiotic coverage for multidrug-resistant pathogens is not necessary in all patients with HCAP. This article reviews existing literature on HCAP, discusses the utility of the current definition of HCAP in identifying patients at risk for potentially drug-resistant pathogens, and compares how well the current HCAP designation predicts the risk of drug-resistant pathogens with other proposed algorithms for doing so.