Primary Healthcare and Nursing

In the recently published Primary Care update on urinary tract infection, the American Urological Association estimated that

over 150 million UTIs occur annually worldwide, with an estimated healthcare cost of over $6 billion. There are a variety

of diagnoses associated with urinary tract symptoms that may occur in the absence of bacterial infection. In the interest of

healthcare cost savings there have been some recommendations to avoid UCX and just treat UTI based on sex and urine dipstick.

Primary healthcare providers will continue to evaluate and manage the clear majority of UTIs in the outpatient population.

Providers should be armed with the knowledge of emerging trends in UTI diagnosis and treatment. This presentation seeks to

explore these trends and identify the tools needed to direct cost effective, yet population protective, management of outpatient

UTIs in women throughout the lifespan. Providers need to consider whether testing is indicated or not. Selecting a treatment

regimen should be carried out with consideration of culture specific pathogen results as well as complicating patient factors and

the suspected, vs proven, site of illness. Highlights of this presentation include associated issues such as up to date antibiotic

stewardship recommendations, current trends in pathogen resistance and recommendations regarding testing, management

and where appropriate, referral for urological evaluation with Subspecialty services.