Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA) Practice Exam

For pneumonia management, what scoring system is used to assess severity?

1. CURB 65 Score

2. APACHE II Score

3. SOFA Score

4. NEWS Score

The correct answer is: CURB 65 Score

The CURB-65 score is specifically designed to assess the severity of pneumonia and to help guide treatment decisions, such as whether a patient can be managed at home or should be hospitalized. This scoring system takes into account five criteria: Confusion, Urea (blood urea nitrogen levels), Respiratory rate, Blood pressure (systolic), and age (65 years or older). Each of these factors contributes to the overall risk stratification of the patient, allowing for a clear evaluation of the severity of their pneumonia. The APACHE II score evaluates the severity of illness in critically ill patients but is not specific to pneumonia, making it less appropriate for this context. The SOFA score assesses organ dysfunction in sepsis, which does not directly apply to the evaluation of pneumonia severity in a general sense. The NEWS score is used for monitoring acute illness and deterioration in hospital settings but is not tailored to pneumonia management specifically. Therefore, the CURB-65 score is the most relevant tool for assessing pneumonia severity, making it the correct choice in this scenario.