Mrs Michelle Chalker1, Professor Brett Mitchell1,2,4,5, Dr Katrina Browne1, Professor Philip Russo1,2,3
1Avondale University, Cooranbong, Australia, 2Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, 3Cabrini Health, Malvern, Australia, 4Central Coast Local Health District, Gosford, Australia, 5Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, Australia
Biography:
Michelle Chalker is a PhD candidate and a nursing lecturer at Avondale University. Her doctoral research investigates the impact of non-ventilator healthcare-associated pneumonia (NV-HAP) on patient mortality and additional length of hospital stay, contributing to a growing body of evidence aimed at improving patient outcomes and hospital quality indicators.
Abstract:
Introduction
Non-ventilator healthcare-associated pneumonia (NV-HAP), a subset of healthcare-associated pneumonia (HAP), is common and has been associated with patient mortality and additional length of hospital stay. However, no systematic review has been undertaken to synthesise the impact of NV-HAP on these outcomes.
Methods
We performed the first systematic search to identify research exploring and evaluating the impact of NV-HAP on mortality and additional length of stay in adults admitted to an acute care hospital. The electronic databases MEDLINE and CINAHL were searched for peer-reviewed articles published between January 2004 and August 2025. An assessment of the study quality and risk of bias of included articles was conducted using the ROBINS-E (Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies – of Exposures) and ROBINS-I (Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies – of Interventions) tool.
Results
A total of 6324 studies were initially identified, with 49 articles included in the review following the screening and full-text review. Twenty-six papers identified both mortality and additional length of stay results, 21 papers identified mortality results only and two papers reported additional length of stay results only. Inpatient mortality following NV-HAP ranged from 3.1 to 73.9%. Additional hospital length of stay associated with NV-HAP was extended between 10.0 and 47.5 days.
Conclusion
This systematic highlight the impact of NV-HAP on hospitalised patients. NV-HAP was associated with patient mortality and additional length of stay. Results of this study will inform a larger planned program of research and help justify NV-HAP prevention interventions.