Many indigenous beliefs and social factors prevent primary care providers, particularly mothers, of pneumonia cases from obtaining prompt and appropriate help. For example, in fear of being blamed for poor caring practices, mothers are reluctant to share information about the illness with other family members.
Full Answer
What is The racial predilection of bacterial pneumonia?
Racial/ethnic disparities in the incidence of bacterial pneumonia are a public health problem. Among US adults, rates of bacteremic pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), the leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia, are higher among Blacks than among Whites.
Is bacterial pneumonia considered health care–associated?
Bacterial pneumonia cases with a date of culture more than 2 days after hospital admission (approximately 3% of all cases) were considered health care–associated and were excluded from the analysis.
Do census tracts affect the incidence of community-acquired pneumonia among adults?
DISCUSSION The results of this analysis showed a strong association between the socioeconomic characteristics of census tracts and the incidence of bacteremic community-acquired pneumonia among adults.
Does poverty increase the incidence of bacteremic pneumonia in black adults?
The incidence of bacteremic pneumonia among Black adults living in the most impoverished census tracts was twice that of Whites in the most impoverished areas and more than 4 times that of Whites in the least impoverished census tracts.
Why are blood cultures ordered for pneumonia?
Blood cultures should be obtained before the administration of antibiotics. These cultures require 24 hours (minimum) to incubate. When blood cultures are positive, they correlate well with the microbiologic agent causing the pneumonia.
Do you need blood cultures for pneumonia?
Blood cultures should be taken in patients with severe signs of systemic infection, hospital-acquired pneumonia, complicated cellulitis and pyelonephritis because it is possible for blood cultures to have a bearing on the clinical management, antibiotics-wise.
What is the most common cause of community acquired pneumonia?
The flu (influenza) virus is the major viral cause of CAP. Having the flu also makes you more likely to get bacterial pneumonia....Some other common bacteria that cause CAP are:Haemophilus influenzae.Mycoplasma pneumoniae.Chlamydia pneumoniae.Legionella.Gram-negative bacilli.Staphylococcus aureus.
How does pneumonia affect the community?
They are at an extremely high risk of infections such as pneumonia due to malnutrition, indoor air pollution, overcrowding, health deficiencies and restricted access to water. It is widely accepted that pneumonia may have a devastating effect on vulnerable populations such as refugees, the homeless and drug users.
Do you get cultures in pneumonia?
Pneumococcal infection was diagnosed in 96 of 127 patients (76%); it was by far the most common cause of pneumonia. In 34 cases, the diagnosis was made by culture of the organism, with two-thirds diagnosed by CIE of the sputum. Only 18 (14%) patients had positive blood cultures (Table 1).
Why is it important to obtain cultures before antibiotic therapy is started?
It is important that specimens for microbiological testing are obtained before commencing antibiotic therapy wherever possible. A specific microbiological diagnosis enables effective targeting of antibiotic therapy against demonstrated pathogens and optimisation of antibiotic dosage and duration.
Who is most affected by community-acquired pneumonia?
C. pneumoniae accounts for 2 to 5% of community-acquired pneumonia and is the 2nd most common cause of lung infections in healthy people aged 5 to 35 years. C. pneumoniae is commonly responsible for outbreaks of respiratory infection within families, in college dormitories, and in military training camps.
Which person is at greatest risk for developing a community-acquired pneumonia?
Pneumonia can affect anyone at any age, but the two age groups at the highest risk both for contracting it and for having more severe cases are children under age 2 and adults over age 65.
What is community-acquired pneumonia treatment?
The initial treatment of CAP is empiric, and macrolides or doxycycline (Vibramycin) should be used in most patients.
Who is affected by pneumonia?
Certain people are more likely to become ill with pneumonia: adults 65 years or older; children younger than 5 years old; people who have ongoing medical conditions (like asthma, diabetes or heart disease); and people who smoke cigarettes.
Which bacterial pathogen is the most common cause of community-acquired pneumonia in adults?
Common causes — Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) and respiratory viruses are the most frequently detected pathogens in patients with CAP [8,16].
How can community-acquired pneumonia be prevented?
Prevention via Vaccination Although pneumococcal vaccines do not prevent all types of CAP, vaccination is considered the safest and most effective method of disease prevention. The CDC recommends routine vaccination against pneumococcal disease.
What are some cultural influences?
In order to improve the care of patients in general, health care providers should be aware of the following cultural influences. 1. Family and Community. Everyone retains certain beliefs as a result of family and community influences, especially in other countries. For example, Asians and Pacific Islanders rely heavily on their extended family.
Why is culture important in healthcare?
Culture has a significant impact on both diagnoses and treatment options, primarily because of different social beliefs , but also because of biological factors. In order to improve the care of patients in general, health care providers should be aware of ...
Why do women request less invasive treatments?
Women, for example, may request less invasive treatments to make them more comfortable. Likewise, gender roles within relationships can often play a role in hindering treatment. One partner in the relationship may be dominant and believe it’s his/her job to make all of the decisions. 5.
What is more important than the interests of the individual?
Oftentimes, the honor and interests of the family are more important than the interests of the individual. Understanding situations like this when administering health care can be very helpful in providing proper treatment. 2. Religion. For the truly zealous, religion is not just a hobby.
Do Caucasians take prescriptions?
Therefore, they are much more likely to take their medications as prescribed. Others cultural groups, such as African Americans and Native Americans, may doubt the need for such medication and stop taking it prematurely.
Do Caucasian patients handle medications?
Caucasian patients generally tend to handle a wider variety of medications than those of other cultures do. Broaching these subjects with your patients may be uncomfortable to begin with, but it may be the thing that saves your patient’s life and your career.
What is the cultural approach of a patient?
A patient’s cultural approach to social interactions with health authorities can also be a major issue. That’s particularly the case when patients perceive there to be a large power distance between themselves and the healthcare provider.
Why are people from cultures more likely to underreport pain?
People from cultures that encourage the suppression of emotions are much more likely to underreport pain using any kind of scaling system. These cultural differences may be frustrating for front-line practitioners dealing with patients from other cultures, but culture also affects market provision of healthcare.
Why are some cultures intolerant of pain?
Some cultures are intolerant of pain and have high expectations that pain will be managed and defeated. Other cultures are more stoic, seeing pain as a fact of life and one to be borne rather than necessarily fixed. This can lead to cultural clashes between healthcare workers and patients from different cultures.
Why is language important in healthcare?
The language used by healthcare providers to engage with their patients may be significant in helping overcome their reservations and access care. Engaging with patients in their own language can also help promote better health outcomes when they do engage with services. South African patients often engage with healthcare practitioners in their ...
Why do people from higher status feel less inclined to report pain to their doctor?
People from cultures that defer to higher status individuals may feel less inclined to report pain to their medic because they don’t feel their suffering is the problem of a higher-status individual.
How to achieve cultural competency in medicine?
Awareness is the first step to achieving cultural competency in your practice. Doctors need to realize that they also bring their own cultural context to patient relationships, even if they don’t realize it. For example, in modern medicine, sometimes the focus can be more on the disease than the person with the illness.
How does culture affect health?
Arthur Kleinman, professor of medical anthropology and psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, in the New York Times article, “Bridging the Culture Gap.” “It affects health disparities, communication and interactions in the doctor-patient relationship, the illness experience, and health care outcomes.”