Low Rates of Urine Testing in Outpatients Treated for Urinary Tract Infection

Researchers used a U.S. private claims database to evaluate urine testing in children prescribed antibiotics for urinary tract infection (UTI) as outpatients.

In 2002 through 2007, 28,678 patients younger than 18 years (90% girls) had 40,603 antibiotic-treated UTI episodes. Overall, 16% of UTI episodes were in patients with urologic anomalies. Urinalysis was performed in 76% of UTI episodes, and urine cultures were performed in 57%. Only 68% of episodes in children younger than 2 years were associated with urine testing before prescriptions for antibiotics. Younger age (<13 years), physician specialty (pediatricians), recent antibiotic prescription, and broad-spectrum antibiotic prescriptions were independent predictors of urine culture use.…