Table 3. Duration of Antibiotics Relative to Clinical Signs.
| Variable | Pneumonia | |
|---|---|---|
| Community-acquired (n = 9540) | Hospital-acquired (n = 2733) | |
| Total duration of treatment, d | ||
| All patients | ||
| Mean (SD) | 5.6 (5.6) | 6.8 (7.2) |
| Median (IQR) | 5 (2-7) | 5 (3-8) |
| Patients with normal signs on 1st day of antibiotics | ||
| Mean (SD) | 4.6 (5.8) | 5.5 (5.9) |
| Median (IQR) | 3 (1-6) | 5 (2-7) |
| Patients with abnormal signs on 1st day of antibiotics | ||
| Mean (SD) | 5.8 (5.5) | 7.0 (7.3) |
| Median (IQR) | 5 (2-7) | 6 (3-8) |
| Duration of treatment beyond the last day of abnormal signs | ||
| All patients | ||
| Mean (SD) | 2.5 (4.5) | 3.2 (6.2) |
| Median (IQR) | 1 (0-4) | 1 (0-5) |
| Patients with abnormal signs on day 1 of antibiotics | ||
| Mean (SD) | 2.3 (4.3) | 2.4 (5.7) |
| Median (IQR) | 0 (0-4) | 0 (0-4) |
| Patients with extended courses of antibiotics, No. (%) | ||
| Antibiotics beyond the last day of abnormal signs | ||
| ≥3 d | 3322 (34.8) | 1050 (38.4) |
| ≥5 d | 1887 (19.8) | 708 (25.9) |
Abbreviation: IQR, interquartile range.