Importance of Urinary Tract Infection to Antibiotic Use Among Hospitalized Patients

Abstract

Many patients with asymptomatic bacteriuria receive extended courses of broad-spectrum antibiotics. Antibiotic use was analyzed in patients admitted to the hospital with urinary tract infection. Strategies to optimize antibiotic use for such patients are discussed and include implementing a process whereby a urine culture is automatically performed if a urinalysis result suggests infection.