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Outpatient community-acquired pneumonia — USMLE Step 3 MCQ

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HardInternal Medicine (chronic management)Outpatient community-acquired pneumoniaUSMLE Step 3

A 48-year-old woman with no major comorbidities has 2 days of cough, fever, pleuritic chest pain, and fatigue. Temperature is 38.2 C, oxygen saturation is 97% on room air, respiratory rate is 18/min, and blood pressure is 122/76 mm Hg. Chest radiograph shows a right lower lobe infiltrate. She can tolerate oral medications. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?

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Correct answer: B — Treat as an outpatient with amoxicillin or doxycycline

Low-risk outpatient community-acquired pneumonia in an otherwise healthy adult can be treated with oral amoxicillin or doxycycline. Broad-spectrum inpatient regimens are not indicated without severity or resistance risk factors.

Reference: IDSA/ATS infectious diseases guidance