Improving Patient Outcomes While Reducing Empirical Treatment with Multiplex-Polymerase-Chain-Reaction/Pooled-Antibiotic-Susceptibility-Testing Assay for Complicated and Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections
Our study demonstrated that adult patients, especially older adult patients (≥60 years of age), who visited urology clinics for suspected acute cUTIs experienced significantly reduced use (>50% less) of empirical therapy and exhibited a large reduction in negative outcomes when an M-PCR/P-AST assay was used compared with SUC. These significant improvements in patient outcomes coupled with changes in provider behavior highlight the advantages of utilization of this assay in this patient population. The reduction in empirical therapy use without a corresponding increase in the overall use of antimicrobials, coupled with significant reductions in negative patient outcomes, is the goal of antibiotic stewardship efforts. This evidence, that with a more accurate and timely test, providers prescribed more effective antibiotics and were willing to wait for test results before making treatment decisions, is critical to improving the management of recurrent and complicated UTIs and patient health.