Got a favourite assessment tool for classifying the severity of community acquired pneumonia? Two systematic reviews showed no significant differences in performance between Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI) and various versions of CURB (CURB, CURB-65, and CRB-65).
An accompanying editorial* opines that CRB-65 is the simplest tool and can easily be remembered. It also discusses some of the more subtle strengths and weaknesses of the tools.
Severity assessment tools for predicting mortality in hospitalised patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Systematic review and meta-analysis
Thorax. 2010 Oct;65(10):878-83
Value of severity scales in predicting mortality from community-acquired pneumonia: systematic review and meta-analysis
Thorax. 2010 Oct;65(10):884-90
*Severity scores for CAP. ‘Much workload for the next bias’
Thorax 2010 Oct;65:853-855