The Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN) have published a new guideline on the Management of suspected bacterial lower urinary tract infection in adult women.
The new guideline builds upon previous guidelines on the topic. This guideline provides recommendations based on current evidence for best practice in the diagnosis and management of suspected bacterial lower urinary tract infection in adult women. It replaces SIGN 88: Management of suspected bacterial urinary tract infection in adults which was first published in July 2006 and updated in July 2012.
The key changes include that this guideline now includes younger women aged 16–64 years, older women aged 65 years and over and women of any age using an indwelling, intermittent or suprapubic catheter. It also includes the diagnosis and management of recurrent UTI in these groups.
The guideline will be of interest to a range of stakeholders but will be of particular interest to community pharmacists who may be treating UTI’s as part of the new NHS Pharmacy First service in Scotland.
Colleagues at SIGN commented on their website that in Scotland, UTIs are the most prevalent healthcare-associated infection within inpatient adult care and the second most commonly reported indication for an antibiotic prescription in the community after respiratory tract infection. Rationalising and limiting unnecessary antibiotic use in patient with suspected (usually self-limiting) lower urinary tract infection is a crucial step in controlling antimicrobial resistance.
You can view and download the full updated guideline here.
You can view and download the summary guideline here.