Pneumonia evaluation

Diagnosis, imaging referral, antibiotics

Medically reviewed by Dr. Ikechukwu Ogbu, MD
MD · Board-Certified, Internal Medicine · Last reviewed June 2026

About Pneumonia evaluation

Pneumonia evaluation combines history (fever, productive cough, pleuritic chest pain, shortness of breath) with vital signs, oxygen saturation, and chest imaging. Most healthy outpatients with community-acquired pneumonia respond to oral antibiotics — high-dose amoxicillin or a macrolide for previously healthy patients without recent antibiotic exposure, with broader regimens for those with comorbidities or risk factors for drug-resistant organisms. Hospitalization is considered for hypoxemia, hemodynamic instability, multilobar disease, or social factors preventing safe home care.

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