DEADLINE • Technical Expert Panel

Misdiagnosis of UTI in Women

Through funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) are developing a measure on the misdiagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) in women. Nearly half of all patients with asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) are misdiagnosed with UTI and are ultimately overprescribed antibiotics. Inappropriate treatment of misdiagnosed UTI is associated with greater risk of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), 90-day hospital readmission, and increased hospital length of stay. The goal of this effort is to reduce misdiagnosis of UTI by measuring the appropriate use of urinary culture testing only in the presence of UTI symptoms in accordance with evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. The primary desired outcome is to correctly diagnose ASB rather than UTI, and the secondary outcomes are to reduce antimicrobial overprescribing, antimicrobial resistance, and CDI. Please read the TEP Charter for additional details. To develop the measure, a technical expert panel (TEP) composed of clinical experts as well as patients, families and/or caregivers will be convened that represents a diversity of backgrounds, values, and perspectives. In addition to patient, family, and caregiver input, clinical expertise will be sought in the areas of infectious diseases, primary care, obstetrics-gynecology, and emergency medicine.