Appropriate prescribing of azithromycin for community-acquired pneumonia

Azithromycin is prescribed for atypical antimicrobial cover in severe community-acquired pneumonia. Inappropriate azithromycin administration incurs unnecessary financial costs, exacerbates antimicrobial resistance and risks QTc interval prolongation leading to cardiac arrhythmias. The present study demonstrated that a majority of patients were prescribed azithromycin without having electrocardiograms to assess the QTc interval and without meeting criteria for severe community-acquired pneumonia based on CURB-65 score.

Automated summary

This study showed that a majority of patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia were prescribed azithromycin without undergoing electrocardiograms to assess the QTc interval and without meeting the criteria for severe community-acquired pneumonia. This inappropriate use of azithromycin poses various risks and issues.