Incidence of pNeumonia and Related ConseqUences in Nursing Home Residents

In the present proposal, we hypothesize that specifically targeting pneumonia events with preventive interventions in the French EHPAD (Etablissements d'Hébergement pour Personnes Agées Dépendantes) setting (thus, improving the health status and quality of life of patients) may simultaneously produce relevant reductions in the healthcare costs. In fact, although the number of pneumonia cases may be numerically limited, the consequences of each event are potentially catastrophic for both the patient and the healthcare system. Unfortunately, to date, information about the incidence and economical effects of pneumonia in the older population living in the French EHPAD are extremely scare. To adequately evaluate whether there is room to implement preventive interventions aimed at reducing the onset of pneumonia in a cost-effective fashion on a large scale, preliminary data from this specific population are needed. This first step is crucial towards the appropriate design and conduction of possible future large-scale intervention trials in the EHPAD setting.