HCAP
Medical abbreviation · Respiratory
| Stands for | Healthcare-associated pneumonia |
|---|---|
| Categories | Medical |
HCAP stands for Healthcare-associated pneumonia, a respiratory abbreviation.
Former category for pneumonia in nonhospitalized patients with healthcare contact, such as nursing home residents, dialysis patients and those recently hospitalized, introduced in 2005 on the assumption that they carried drug-resistant bacteria.
Example: Old admission note lists HCAP and vancomycin-piperacillin-tazobactam for a nursing home resident.
Usage notes
The 2016 HAP/VAP and 2019 CAP guidelines dropped HCAP because the label did not reliably predict resistant organisms and led to overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics. Instead, clinicians weigh individual risk factors, such as prior MRSA or Pseudomonas isolation and recent intravenous antibiotics. The term still appears in older records and some quality reports.
Related abbreviations
More respiratory abbreviations
- FiO2 – Fraction of inspired oxygen
- FRC – Functional residual capacity
- FVC – Forced vital capacity
- GGO – Ground-glass opacity
- GINA – Global Initiative for Asthma
- GOLD – Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease
- HFNC – High-flow nasal cannula
- HP – Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
- HSAT – Home sleep apnea test
- HTX – Hemothorax
- ICS – Inhaled corticosteroid
- ILD – Interstitial lung disease
See all 109 respiratory abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.