A prospective, follow up study to assess guidelines compliance in uncomplicated urinary tract infection

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The study was undertaken to assess the empirical antibiotic prescription in uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI) cases and compare them with the Indian council of medical research (ICMR) 2017 guidelines on antimicrobial use. The objective of this study was to study the compliance of prescriptions for uncomplicated UTI with respect to the guidelines recommended by ICMR and assess the success rates in terms of mean days taken to achieve symptomatic relief. METHODOLOGY: This study was conducted on patients (of age >16 years) presenting to the Urology, Medicine and Gynecology OPD with complaints of uncomplicated UTI over two months. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the results. RESULTS: A total of 115 UTI patients were enrolled and followed up for symptomatic relief. 67 (58.26%) patients were prescribed antibiotics, the preferred ones were levofloxacin 500 mg O.D. in 24 (35.82%), nitrofurantoin 100 mg B.D. in 21 (31.34%) and levofloxacin 750 mg O.D. in 6 (8.95%) patients for a mean duration of 7.83 ± 2.37, 7.52 ± 2.68 and 4.33 ± 1.03 days respectively. Symptomatic relief was seen in 6 (25%), 15 (71.42%) and 4 (66.67%) cases within 5 ± 0.63 days, 4.2 ± 2.11 days and 4.5 ± 1 days, respectively. DISCUSSION: 23 (34.32%) prescriptions based on choice of empirical antibiotic and 17 (25.37%) prescriptions based on both choice of antibiotic and duration of therapy were found to be compliant with the (ICMR) -2017 guidelines. Results show decreased efficacy of co-trimoxazole and ciprofloxacin as empirical therapy for acute uncomplicated UTI.