Reducing Antibiotic Duration for Uncomplicated UTI in the Pediatric Emergency Department

Short-duration (3-5 days) antibiotic treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infection (uUTI) in children >24 months of age is equivalent to longer-duration antibiotic treatment, with added benefits of antibiotic stewardship. At our pediatric emergency department (ED), 13% of 5- to 18-year-old patients discharged with uUTI received ≤5 days of antibiotics. We aimed to increase short-duration prescriptions in patients with uUTI from 13% to >50% over 12 months.

This quality improvement project was conducted from January 2021 to August 2022. Complicated UTI was excluded. Interventions included education, practice feedback, and electronic health record changes. The outcome measure, the proportion of children treated with a short antibiotic duration, was studied by using p-charts. Antibiotic days saved were calculated. Revisits with UTI within 14 days of confirmed uUTI treated with short-duration antibiotics (balancing measure) were analyzed by using Fisher's exact test.

In 1292 (n = 363 baseline, 929 post-intervention) eligible patients treated for uUTI, shorter antibiotic duration increased from 13% to 91%. We met our 50% aim within 2 months, with continued improvement leading to an additional centerline shift. Consequently, 2619 antibiotic days were saved. Two of 334 (0.6%) patients returned (P = NS) within 14 days of the index visit with a culture-positive uUTI.

By using education, feedback, and electronic health record changes, we decreased antibiotic duration in children discharged from the ED for uUTI without a significant increase in return visits with UTI. These interventions can be expanded to wider age groups and other outpatient settings.