Study of Over 600,000 Women Shows Almost Half Are Getting The Wrong UTI Treatment - ScienceAlert

Across the United States, in both rural and urban settings, most women with private health insurance are receiving inappropriate treatment for their urinary tract infections (UTIs), according to a new study. .

"Our study findings underscore the need for antimicrobial stewardship interventions to improve outpatient antibiotic prescribing, particularly in rural settings." .

Figuring out where the most inappropriate prescriptions are happening could help us target areas where we need to improve adherence to antibiotic guidelines. In the US, rural areas experience numerous health disparities compared to more urban areas, and yet this is the first large-scale study to evaluate how that impacts UTI treatment.

The authors are not sure why longer antibiotic treatments for UTIs are especially prevalent in rural areas, but suggest it could have to do with access to care and physician awareness

In rural areas, women may be given longer prescriptions to avoid future travel if that treatment fails

"Given the large quantity of inappropriate prescriptions annually in the United States, as well as the negative patient- and society-level consequences of unnecessary exposure to antibiotics, antimicrobial stewardship interventions are needed to improve outpatient UTI antibiotic prescribing, particularly in rural settings."