Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infection in Ambulatory Primary Care Pediatrics: Are We Using Antibiotics Appropriately?

Antimicrobial stewardship programs target antimicrobial use within the inpatient care setting. However, most antimicrobials are prescribed at ambulatory sites. We aim to determine the appropriateness of the diagnosis and treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI) in children within the outpatient setting at our institution, and to evaluate the cost of antibiotic treatment in our patient cohort.

This retrospective study was conducted by reviewing electronic records of patients aged 2 to 18 years diagnosed with uncomplicated UTI and treated with antibiotics in the outpatient setting from January 1, 2016, to April 30, 2016. Appropriate diagnosis was defined as confirmed UTI that included: pyuria (>5 white blood cells per high-power field or positive for leukocyte esterase), a positive urine culture (≥50,000 colony units/mL of a single uropathogen for a catheterized sample or ≥100,000 colony units/mL for a clean catch urine sample), and lower urinary tract symptoms. Treatment was considered appropriate if the patient was prescribed first-line antibiotic for the susceptible isolate (trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole, amoxicillinclavulanate, nitrofurantoin, and cephalexin), and if the appropriate dose was used.

We included 178 patients receiving a diagnosis of uncomplicated UTI and treated with antibiotics. Of these, 70% received an inappropriate diagnosis (n = 125). 58% (n= 72) of improperly diagnosed patients had polymicrobial growth in their urine cultures. Antibiotics prescribed mostly in this group were trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (53%, n = 66) and cephalexin (22%, n = 27). Only 30% of all included patients received an appropriate diagnosis (n = 53). Of all appropriate diagnosis patients (n = 53), 26% were treated inappropriately (n = 14) with either wide-spectrum antibiotics (n = 8) or with low calculated dose (n = 6). The estimated cost of antibiotic treatment for the inappropriate diagnosis group (n = 125) was $10,755.87.

Antimicrobial stewardship programs should target the pediatric outpatient setting and antibiograms should be developed. Education of providers about the appropriate diagnosis and treatment of uncomplicated UTI in children is essential for reducing the cost of inappropriate therapy.