Diagnostic regimes for urinary tract infection--are research results applied to practice?

A clinical audit of ward practice for diagnosing and treating urinary tract infection was carried out to assess the impact on clinical practice four years after publication of a working protocol. Data were collected from all medical, surgical, gynaecology and geriatric wards in 25 hospitals in Northern Ireland. All wards made use of urinary dipsticks for ward testing, as recommended by the protocol. However many negative samples were still forwarded for laboratory analysis. The potential financial savings which would result from effective ward screening were not being realised and the publication appeared to have minimal impact on clinical practice. Advice on an improved diagnostic protocol for urinary tract infection may not have been disseminated to the nursing staff whose role was pivotal in the screening process.