Scholarlink

Introduction and Hypothesis <p>Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common reasons for antibiotic prescriptions in women in the United States (US); however, 40% may be unnecessary, making them a critical focus for antibiotic stewardship. Since guidelines influence antibiotic prescribing patterns, we compared guidelines from national organizations of the United States, Europe, and Australia for the diagnosis and treatment of acute uncomplicated UTIs to identify similarities and differences.</p> Methods <p>PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and the websites of national health organizations were searched for guidelines on the diagnosis and management of acute uncomplicated UTI. Eleven documents from seven countries and the European Union (EU) were included. Recommendations were extracted, compared, and evaluated for methodological rigor and evidence grading.</p> Results <p>Guidelines from the US’s Agency of Health Care Research and Quality, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain, Germany, and Australia explicitly discourage urine testing for the diagnosis of acute uncomplicated UTI. All US-based guidelines permit empirical antibiotic treatment for suspected uncomplicated UTI, and symptomatic nonantibiotic management is not recommended. In contrast, guidelines from the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, and Australia recommend initial symptomatic, nonantibiotic treatment for mild to moderate symptoms, aiming to delay or avoid antibiotic therapy when clinically appropriate.</p> Conclusion <p>Compared to the US, guidelines of several other countries promote antibiotic stewardship by limiting urine testing, prioritizing nonantibiotic symptomatic management, and limiting antibiotic use in patients with mild-to-moderate symptoms of uncomplicated UTI.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Variation in Guidelines for the Management of Acute Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infections Across the United States, Europe, and Australia

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月20日

查看全文
  • Kelly F. Oechsel,
  • Lei A. Qin,
  • Uduak Andy,
  • Christine M. Chu,
  • Shafinaz Akhter,
  • Lily Arya

摘要

Introduction and Hypothesis

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common reasons for antibiotic prescriptions in women in the United States (US); however, 40% may be unnecessary, making them a critical focus for antibiotic stewardship. Since guidelines influence antibiotic prescribing patterns, we compared guidelines from national organizations of the United States, Europe, and Australia for the diagnosis and treatment of acute uncomplicated UTIs to identify similarities and differences.

Methods

PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and the websites of national health organizations were searched for guidelines on the diagnosis and management of acute uncomplicated UTI. Eleven documents from seven countries and the European Union (EU) were included. Recommendations were extracted, compared, and evaluated for methodological rigor and evidence grading.

Results

Guidelines from the US’s Agency of Health Care Research and Quality, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain, Germany, and Australia explicitly discourage urine testing for the diagnosis of acute uncomplicated UTI. All US-based guidelines permit empirical antibiotic treatment for suspected uncomplicated UTI, and symptomatic nonantibiotic management is not recommended. In contrast, guidelines from the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, and Australia recommend initial symptomatic, nonantibiotic treatment for mild to moderate symptoms, aiming to delay or avoid antibiotic therapy when clinically appropriate.

Conclusion

Compared to the US, guidelines of several other countries promote antibiotic stewardship by limiting urine testing, prioritizing nonantibiotic symptomatic management, and limiting antibiotic use in patients with mild-to-moderate symptoms of uncomplicated UTI.