Loading...
Inappropriate testing and treatment for urinary tract infection (UTI) may occur because of flawed clinical decision making based on estimated risk thresholds. In a survey, U.S. primary care clinicians answered questions about a low-risk scenario for UTI.
The case described a 65-year-old man with foul-smelling urine, trace blood upon dipstick, and no pain or dysuria. Clinicians were asked whether they would obtain a urine culture and treat if the culture were positive. They were also asked to provide a risk estimate for each outcome.
Of 551 respondents who completed the survey, 61% would order a urine culture and 71% would treat following a positive culture. The threshold (that 50% would test) occurred when the estimated chance of a UTI was 19…