Long-term care acquired urinary tract infections' antibiotic resistance patterns and empiric therapy: a pilot study

Long-term care (LTC) acquired urinary tract infections (UTIs) are increasingly resistant to antibiotics, and the selection of appropriate empiric antibiotic therapy can be challenging for clinicians. The purpose of this study is to describe LTC-acquired UTI empiric antibiotic prescription patterns and UTI resistance patterns among older adults admitted to an acute psychiatric facility. This retrospective study found that ciprofloxacin was the agent most often used for empiric therapy (76% of cases). However, LTC-acquired UTIs in the sample were susceptible to ciprofloxacin in only 31% of cases. The study has implications for antibiotic stewardship with recommendations for empiric antibiotic selection for LTC-acquired UTIs given the prevalence of fluoroquinolone-resistant bacterial strains in the LTC setting.