Letters to the Editor

Exclusion Criteria Important in Use of Clinical Decision Rules

Am Fam Physician. 2006 Sep 15;74(6):921.

to the editor: In the article, “Diagnosis and Treatment of Community-Acquired Pneumonia,”1 the discussion of outpatient versus inpatient treatment did not list the absolute contraindications to outpatient treatment. These contraindications include: hypoxemia (oxygen saturation less than 90 percent while patient is breathing room air), hemodynamic instability, active coexisting condition requiring hospitalization, and inability to tolerate oral medications.2 When applying a clinical decision rule to an individual patient, it is imperative to recognize exclusion criteria to avoid misapplication of the rule.

Send letters to Kenneth W. Lin, MD, Associate Deputy Editor for AFP Online, e-mail: afplet@aafp.org, or 11400 Tomahawk Creek Pkwy., Leawood, KS 66211-2680.

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