To compare predictors of hospitalization and death in nursing home residents with pneumonia and other lower respiratory infections (LRIs).
A nested cohort study.
Nine nursing homes in southern Ontario.
Three hundred fifty-three nursing home residents with LRIs (enrolled in the control arm of a clinical trial).
Comorbidities, vaccination status, age, health-related quality of life, functional status, and vital statistics were evaluated as potential predictors of hospitalization and mortality at 30 days.
Moderate to high disease severity score on a practical severity scale was a strong independent predictor of hospitalization (odds ratio (OR)=7.12, P