Abstract
Evaluation of: Rothberg MB, Pekow PS, Lahti M, Brody O, Skiest DJ, Lindenauer PK. Antibiotic therapy and treatment failure in patients hospitalized for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. JAMA 303(20), 2035–2042 (2010).
Guideline recommendations for the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are derived from randomized clinical trials; they usually have a small sample size and are unrepresentative of patient populations. By contrast, observation data represent real-world patient population with large sample sizes and greater generalizability; however, appropriate methodologies are needed to analyze the data and make sound inference. This article reviews the study by Rothberg et al., summarizes the key findings, and extends the discussion to the challenges and opportunities of pharmacoepidemiologic studies in acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The author has no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.