Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of community-acquired pneumonia

Fabio Varon-Vega; María Camila Martínez-Ayala; Jorge Alberto Cortés; Manuel Garay-Fernández; Francisco José Molina Saldarriaga; Laura Cristina Nocua-Baez; Iván Arturo Rodríguez Sabogal; Carmelo Dueñas Castell; Guillermo Ortiz Ruiz; Franco Eduardo Montúfar Andrade; Lucila Teresa Flórez de Arco; Javier Enrique Fajardo-Rivero; Aura Lucia Leal Castro; Eduardo Andrés Tuta Quintero; María Pérez-Restrepo; Jonathan Orlando Palacios Rojas; Martha Herrera; Dina Grajales; Luis Fernando Giraldo-Cadavid

doi:10.22354/24223794.1293

Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of community-acquired pneumonia

Fabio Varon-Vega
, María Camila Martínez-Ayala
, Jorge Alberto Cortés
, Manuel Garay-Fernández
, Francisco José Molina Saldarriaga
, Laura Cristina Nocua-Baez
, Iván Arturo Rodríguez Sabogal
, Carmelo Dueñas Castell
, Guillermo Ortiz Ruiz
, Franco Eduardo Montúfar Andrade
, Lucila Teresa Flórez de Arco
, Javier Enrique Fajardo-Rivero
, Aura Lucia Leal Castro
, Eduardo Andrés Tuta Quintero
, María Pérez-Restrepo
, Jonathan Orlando Palacios Rojas
, Martha Herrera
, Dina Grajales
, Luis Fernando Giraldo-Cadavid

Research output: Contribution to scientific journal › Article in an indexed scientific journal › peer-review

Abstract

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in adults. Its management hinges on early severity recognition, identification of risk factors for resistant pathogens, and timely initiation of antibiotics. Diagnosis is primarily clinical, supported by chest imaging and targeted microbiologic testing according to illness severity. Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are essential to address persistent gaps in CAP diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Accordingly, this CPG aims to guide clinical decision-making on diagnosis, assessment, empiric therapy, follow-up, and prevention of CAP in immunocompetent adults, with the goals of improving health outcomes, standardizing care, reducing unwarranted variability, and optimizing resource use within the Colombian health system.

Translated title of the contribution	Guía de práctica clínica para el diagnóstico y tratamiento de la neumonía adquirida en la comunidad
Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	185-223
Number of pages	39
Journal	Infectio
Volume	30
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.22354/24223794.1293
State	Published - 16 Jun 2026

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2026, Asociacion Colombiana de Infectologia. All rights reserved.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Keywords

clinical practice guideline
Colombia
community-acquired pneumonia
diagnosis
empiric therapy
prevention

Types Minciencias

Artículos de investigación con calidad Q4

Access to Document

10.22354/24223794.1293

Cite this

Varon-Vega, F., Camila Martínez-Ayala, M., Alberto Cortés, J., Garay-Fernández, M., Saldarriaga, F. J. M., Cristina Nocua-Baez, L., Sabogal, I. A. R., Dueñas Castell, C., Ortiz Ruiz, G., Andrade, F. E. M., de Arco, L. T. F., Enrique Fajardo-Rivero, J., Castro, A. L. L., Quintero, E. A. T., Pérez-Restrepo, M., Rojas, J. O. P., Herrera, M., Grajales, D., & Fernando Giraldo-Cadavid, L. (2026). Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of community-acquired pneumonia. Infectio, 30(2), 185-223. https://doi.org/10.22354/24223794.1293

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title = "Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of community-acquired pneumonia",

abstract = "Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in adults. Its management hinges on early severity recognition, identification of risk factors for resistant pathogens, and timely initiation of antibiotics. Diagnosis is primarily clinical, supported by chest imaging and targeted microbiologic testing according to illness severity. Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are essential to address persistent gaps in CAP diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Accordingly, this CPG aims to guide clinical decision-making on diagnosis, assessment, empiric therapy, follow-up, and prevention of CAP in immunocompetent adults, with the goals of improving health outcomes, standardizing care, reducing unwarranted variability, and optimizing resource use within the Colombian health system. ",

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Varon-Vega, F, Camila Martínez-Ayala, M, Alberto Cortés, J, Garay-Fernández, M, Saldarriaga, FJM, Cristina Nocua-Baez, L, Sabogal, IAR, Dueñas Castell, C, Ortiz Ruiz, G, Andrade, FEM, de Arco, LTF, Enrique Fajardo-Rivero, J, Castro, ALL, Quintero, EAT, Pérez-Restrepo, M, Rojas, JOP, Herrera, M, Grajales, D & Fernando Giraldo-Cadavid, L 2026, 'Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of community-acquired pneumonia', Infectio, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 185-223. https://doi.org/10.22354/24223794.1293

TY - JOUR

T1 - Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of community-acquired pneumonia

AU - Varon-Vega, Fabio

AU - Camila Martínez-Ayala, María

AU - Alberto Cortés, Jorge

AU - Garay-Fernández, Manuel

AU - Saldarriaga, Francisco José Molina

AU - Cristina Nocua-Baez, Laura

AU - Sabogal, Iván Arturo Rodríguez

AU - Dueñas Castell, Carmelo

AU - Ortiz Ruiz, Guillermo

AU - Andrade, Franco Eduardo Montúfar

AU - de Arco, Lucila Teresa Flórez

AU - Enrique Fajardo-Rivero, Javier

AU - Castro, Aura Lucia Leal

AU - Quintero, Eduardo Andrés Tuta

AU - Pérez-Restrepo, María

AU - Rojas, Jonathan Orlando Palacios

AU - Herrera, Martha

AU - Grajales, Dina

AU - Fernando Giraldo-Cadavid, Luis

PY - 2026/6/16

Y1 - 2026/6/16

N2 - Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in adults. Its management hinges on early severity recognition, identification of risk factors for resistant pathogens, and timely initiation of antibiotics. Diagnosis is primarily clinical, supported by chest imaging and targeted microbiologic testing according to illness severity. Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are essential to address persistent gaps in CAP diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Accordingly, this CPG aims to guide clinical decision-making on diagnosis, assessment, empiric therapy, follow-up, and prevention of CAP in immunocompetent adults, with the goals of improving health outcomes, standardizing care, reducing unwarranted variability, and optimizing resource use within the Colombian health system.

AB - Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in adults. Its management hinges on early severity recognition, identification of risk factors for resistant pathogens, and timely initiation of antibiotics. Diagnosis is primarily clinical, supported by chest imaging and targeted microbiologic testing according to illness severity. Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are essential to address persistent gaps in CAP diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Accordingly, this CPG aims to guide clinical decision-making on diagnosis, assessment, empiric therapy, follow-up, and prevention of CAP in immunocompetent adults, with the goals of improving health outcomes, standardizing care, reducing unwarranted variability, and optimizing resource use within the Colombian health system.

KW - clinical practice guideline

KW - Colombia

KW - community-acquired pneumonia

KW - diagnosis

KW - empiric therapy

KW - prevention

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105041907590

U2 - 10.22354/24223794.1293

DO - 10.22354/24223794.1293

M3 - Artículo en revista científica indexada

AN - SCOPUS:105041907590

SN - 0123-9392

VL - 30

SP - 185

EP - 223

JO - Infectio

JF - Infectio

IS - 2

ER -

Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of community-acquired pneumonia

Abstract

Bibliographical note

UN SDGs

Keywords

Types Minciencias

Access to Document

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Cite this