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Showing results for tags 'Urinary tract infections'.
Found 22 results
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News Article
Using AI to treat infections more accurately
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
New research from the Centres for Antimicrobial Optimisation Network (CAMO-Net) at the University of Liverpool has shown that using artificial intelligence (AI) can improve how we treat urinary tract infections (UTIs), and help to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolve and no longer respond to treatments that were once effective. This resistance leads to longer hospital stays, higher medical costs, and increased mortality rates, posing a significant threat to public health and potentially rendering common infections untreatable. Traditional UTI diagnostic tests, known as antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST), uses a one-size-fits-all approach to determine which antibiotics are most effective against a specific bacterial or fungal infection. This new research, published in Nature Communications, proposes a personalised method, using real-time data to help clinicians target infections more accurately and reduce the chance of bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotic treatment. The research, led by Dr Alex Howard, a consultant in medical microbiology at the University of Liverpool and researcher on the Wellcome Trust funded CAMO-Net, used AI to test prediction models for 12 antibiotics using real patient data and compared personalised AST with standard methods. The data-driven personalised approach led to more accurate treatment options, especially with WHO Access antibiotics, known for being less likely to cause resistance. Dr Alex Howard, said: "This research is important and timely for World AMR Awareness Week because it shows how combining routine health data with lab tests can help keep antibiotics working. By using AI to predict when people with urine infections have antibiotic-resistant bugs, we show how lab tests can better direct their antibiotic treatment. This approach could improve the care of people with infections worldwide and help prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance." Read full story Source: Digital Health News, 25 November 2024 -
Community PostHave you attempted to access treatment for a urinary tract infection (UTI), or recurrent UTIs? We'd love you to share your experiences with us. Did you feel listened to by your doctor or healthcare professional? Did they take your symptoms seriously? Did you receive timely and appropriate treatment?
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Community Post
Better use of data for medication safety in hospitals
Kenny Fraser posted a topic in Medicine management
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NHS hospital staff spend countless hours capturing data in electronic prescribing and medicines administration systems. Yet that data remains difficult to access and use to support patient care. This is a tremendous opportunity to improve patient safety, drive efficiencies and save time for frontline staff. I have just published a post about this challenge and Triscribe's solution. I would love to hear any comments or feedback on the topic... How could we use this information better? What are hospitals already doing? Where are the gaps? Thanks- Posted
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Content Article
Safety thermometer tool (NEQOS)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Quality Improvement
The aim of the NHS Safety Thermometer is to provide a local improvement tool for measuring, monitoring and analysing patient harms and ‘harm free care’. Data is collected by Trusts on pressure ulcers, falls, urinary tract infections (UTI), and Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) assessments, prophylaxis and treatment. The North East Quality Observatory Service (NEQOS) Safety Thermometer Tool allows trusts to compare themselves against their peers (for improvement purposes) as well as to undertake internal comparisons across different service areas within the Trust. Produced quarterly, the tool uses National Safety Thermometer data published by NHS Digital and presents this by Trust across the North East & North Cumbria (NENC) area, providing comparisons between peers as well as with the national average, with breakdowns by service areas for detailed analysis. -
Content ArticlePhysicians raised a concern to the Quality Department about patients who were diagnosed in the emergency department (ED) with a urinary tract infection (UTI) but who later were clinically reviewed and found to be without disease. These patients were often admitted and treated with potentially unnecessary antibiotics. Literature reviews show patient and staff education of a clean catch urine culture collection technique alone is not always effective at consistently reducing urine culture contamination. The intervention team hypothesised that an effective multifactorial method to reduce urine culture contamination would be a combination of staff education on appropriate midstream and straight catheter collection techniques, verbal and visual education for patients, and staff and physician identification of patients who would provide more accurate urine cultures via straight catheterisation than clean catch. The goal of this process improvement was to reduce unintended patient consequences of unnecessary admissions, unnecessary antibiotic treatment, and repeat urine cultures through reducing contaminated ED urine samples to ≤10% monthly contamination. The results found that combined interventions resulted in a six-month decrease of contaminated urine samples from the initial 51% to <10%, resulting in an 80% decrease. The authors concluded that urine culture contamination in an acute care ED was sustainably decreased through multiple process improvement interventions. Secondary outcomes included reduction in unnecessary antibiotic use and unnecessary admissions.
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Content ArticleIn this blog, Carl Heneghan, Urgent Care GP and Professor of Evidence-based Medicine at the University of Oxford, looks at how the shortage of doctors working in urgent care is affecting patient safety. He tells the story of a patient with a blocked catheter, highlighting that with early intervention, this should cause few complications, but if not treated promptly, it can cause bladder damage and chronic kidney failure. This example highlights the need to ensure patients are seen quickly if they have an urgent need in the community. The blog points out that current Government plans to scale up urgent community response teams are inadequate as they only cover 12 hours a day and there is a shortage of GPs willing to work in urgent care.
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Content Article
Premature Waters Breaking (PPROM awareness)
PatientSafetyLearning Team posted an article in Maternity
PPROM is the acronym for Preterm Pre-labour Rupture Of Membranes. This is otherwise known as when the waters break prior to 37 weeks during pregnancy. These waters, known as the amniotic fluid, protect the baby from injury. It also helps in preventing infection being passed from mother to baby. As soon as the waters break the risks of infection to both mother and baby are high. Therefore good management of care at this stage is key to treating this condition successfully. Little Heartbeats raise awareness of PPROM, help patients share their experiences and promote the use of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecology leaflet which contains the guidelines set out for UK hospitals to follow in the event of PPROM. -
Content ArticleThis report from the AHSN Network shines light on ways we can do more to improve safety for residents of care homes. The publication showcases over 30 examples of projects delivered by England’s 15 Patient Safety Collaboratives (PSCs) and the Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) which host them. They include case studies in medicines safety, dementia, monitoring and screening, and workforce development.
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News Article
Rapid UTI test that cuts detection time to 45 minutes awarded Longitude prize
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
An £8m prize for a breakthrough in the fight against superbugs has been awarded, after a decade-long search for a winner, to a test that can identify how to treat a urinary tract infection in 45 minutes. The test could herald a “sea change” in antibiotic use, the judges said as they announced the winner of the Longitude prize on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR, where the drugs used to treat infections no longer work, is a growing concern. It leads to the deaths of nearly 1.3 million people worldwide annually and is predicted to cause 10 million deaths a year by 2050. Between 50% and 60% of women will experience at least one urinary tract infection (UTI) in their lifetime, and up to half of the bacteria that cause the infections are resistant to at least one antibiotic. The infections can cause potentially fatal sepsis. However, a lack of good, quick tests means doctors often have to diagnose an infection based on symptoms and guess which antibiotic will work. The inappropriate use of antibiotics drives resistance by giving bacteria opportunities to adapt to evade them. The winning Sysmex Astrego’s PA-100 AST system is based on technology from Uppsala University in Sweden. A 400-microlitre sample of urine is placed on a phone-sized cartridge and then into a shoebox-sized analyser unit. It can spot bacterial infection within 15 minutes, and identify the antibiotic to treat it within 45 minutes. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 12 June 2024 -
Content ArticleThis Quality Standard from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been updated to instruct healthcare professionals to diagnose women under the age of 65 with a urinary tract infection (UTI) if they have two or more key symptoms. The new standard replaces its predecessor that was published in 2015 and includes five key statements: Women under the age of 65 should be diagnosed with a UTI if they present two or more key urinary symptoms and have no alternative causes or warning signs. Adults with indwelling urinary catheters shouldn’t have dipstick testing to diagnose UTIs. Men and non-pregnant women shouldn’t be prescribed antibiotics as a treatment for asymptomatic bacteriuria. Non-pregnant women with uncomplicated lower UTIs should be prescribed three-day courses of antibiotics, whilst pregnant women and men with uncomplicated lower UTIs should be prescribed antibiotics for seven days. Men with recurrent UTIs, and women with recurrent lower UTIs where the cause hasn’t been identified or who have recurrent upper UTIs should be directed to specialist advice.
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Content ArticleUrinary tract infections (UTIs) exert a significant health and economic cost globally. Approximately one in four people with a previous history of UTI continue to develop recurrent or chronic infections. This review aims to present a novel perspective on chronic UTI by linking microbiology with immunology, which are commonly divergent in this field of research. It also describes the challenges in understanding chronic UTI pathogenesis and the human bladder immune response, largely conjectured from murine studies. Lastly, it outlines the shortcomings of current diagnostic methods in identifying individuals with chronic UTI and consequently treating them, potentially aggravating their disease due to mismanagement of prior episodes. This discourse highlights the need to consider these knowledge gaps and encourages more relevant studies of UTI in humans.
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Content ArticleThis customisable, educational toolkit published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) aims to help ICUs reduce rates of central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI). The materials can be used to assess current safety practice, implement new approaches and overcome particular challenges related to CLABSI and CAUTI in ICUs. Tools include: Assessment ICU assessment ICE assessment response guide Action plan template Implementing CUSP onboarding modules, laying a foundation to implement a program of preventing CLABSI and CAUTI CLABSI and CAUTI prevention modules, providing an introduction to the tiered interventions Playbook for preventing CLABSI and CAUTI in the ICU setting: connecting the dots between CUSP and the tiered interventions CLABSI and CAUTI learning tools APIC HAIs calculator tools Overcoming common challenges Team engagement tools Team functioning tools Overcoming clinical mindset tools Safety culture tools
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Content ArticleThe European Network for Safer Healthcare (ENSH) joined forces with the European Association of Urology Nurses (EAUN) to work on a policy campaign to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) in Europe as a path to improving patient safety and preventing anti-microbial resistance (AMR) through: Improvement of adherence to existing European guidelines to prevent CAUTI. Development of European indicators to support the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and/or national surveillance systems. Key recommendations This list summarises key recommendations for healthcare professionals. Adherence to these recommendations would improve patient outcomes, reduce the spread of AMR and save public healthcare budgets millions of euros per year. Proper use of the urinary catheter: Urethral catheters should be used only when indicated, with a closed-circuit system and a port for taking samples. Catheters should be removed when they are unnecessary and their indication should be assessed daily. Proper insertion of the urinary catheter: Hand hygiene should be performed immediately before and after catheter insertion or any manipulation of the urethral catheter. A sterile/aseptic insertion technique should be used. Proper maintenance of the urinary catheter: Always keep the collecting system closed (urethral catheter, drainage tube and collecting bag). Keep the urine flow free, without obstacles in the circuit, and the collection bag below the level of the bladder. Maintain good catheter hygiene and use a catheter securement device. Use checklists/ care bundle to aid in urinary catheter maintenance. Guarantee the quality of the care: Health professionals must receive specific training on the insertion and maintenance of the urethral catheter. The urethral catheter insertion and maintenance protocols must be reviewed and updated periodically (every 3 years and/or when new evidence is published) Healthcare professionals need to receive regular feedback. Unit coordinators will periodically inform staff about urinary infections rates. Do not: Do not use antiseptics and antibiotics in daily hygiene. Do not use prophylactic antimicrobials in the insertion, maintenance or withdrawal of the urethral catheter. Do not change the urethral catheter routinely and periodically. Do not carry out bladder washes. Do not take cultures if infection is not suspected, except for colonisation studies. Do not routinely use antimicrobial-impregnated probes. Do not use antimicrobial treatment in asymptomatic bacteriuria.
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Content ArticleIn this insightful and informative review by Dr Shaffi from Cleveland Clinic learn how you can target Zero catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) through close attention to practice - from patient selection through management of the catheter lifecycle and delivery of data driven practice learn the changes that matter.
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News ArticleWomen suffering from chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs) are facing mental health crises after being “dismissed and gaslighted” by health professionals for years, according to a leading specialist. Daily debilitating pain has left patients feeling suicidal, with those in recovery describing lingering mental health problems “akin to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)”, said Dr Rajvinder Khasriya, an NHS consultant urogynaecologist at the Whittington Hospital in London. Patients have said they feel crippling anxiety over planning ahead to ensure there is always a toilet around, even after their condition has been controlled with treatment. Vicky Matthews, who searched for a diagnosis for three years after a recurrent UTI became chronic, said the condition caused a “gradual decline” in her mental health as medical professionals were unable to pinpoint what was causing her pain. "I questioned my pain. I questioned what was going on. I questioned whether it was actually real and that was a pretty awful thing to be dealing with on top of having physical pain,” the 43-year-old said, describing what she felt was “mental torture”. Read full story Source: I News, 12 February Further reading on the hub The clinical implications of bacterial pathogenesis and mucosal immunity in chronic urinary track infection
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News ArticleThe NHS has publicly recognised that chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs) exist and has updated its advice for patients following pressure from campaign groups. For many patients who develop a UTI, their experience is extremely painful but short-lived. But for thousands of others, a one-off acute attack turns into a chronic infection that dominates their lives and lasts for months or even years. NHS Digital updated its website to last week to provide information around chronic bladder infections where previously there was none. Campaigners say this is a “huge step forward” but there is still a long way to go in improving testing and treatments for the condition. Chronic UTI sufferer Leah Herridge has been pushing for the change alongside Chronic Urinary Tract Infection Campaign (CUTIC) and Bladder Health UK. The NHS website’s Cystitis page has been updated to include mentions of chronic UTI and to acknowledge that current tests may not pick up these infections. Previously, the NHS made no mention of chronic UTIs, meaning GPs and even consultants would often default to misdiagnosing patients with interstitial cystitis. Specialists say the infections, which often begin as an acute bout of cystitis, can occur when bacteria become embedded within the bladder wall and become difficult to treat with short courses of antibiotics. “People tend to think chronic means really bad. What it means is everlasting,” said Carolyn Andrew, from CUTIC. In August 2021, Ms Herridge sent a letter to NHS Digital demanding the web page be updated. The campaign was backed by CUTIC and Bladder Health UK as well as 100 other chronic UTI sufferers who also wrote letters. “NHS Digital has actually been really, really fantastic at working with us and I do feel like they have really co-produced, certainly the interstitial cystitis page with the leading professionals in the area, the charities and myself,” said Ms Herridge. Read full story Source: iNews, 14 March 2022
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News Article
UTI testing '50 years out of date'
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A painful infection that mainly affects women is too often dismissed as "women's problems". One in every two women suffer a urinary tract infection (UTI) and they are the second most common infection globally. Among those affected is Hannah Hanratty, 36, who suffered months of agony despite multiple negative tests. During her pregnancy, Mrs Hanratty felt the "razor-blade burning pain" when passing urine. It soon developed into a constant pain. Two weeks after giving birth she needed antibiotics following a routine procedure and said the pain immediately went. "It was a UTI all along that just hadn't been picked up by the tests," she said. Now Dr Emma Hayhurst, a senior lecturer in Molecular Biology at the University of South Wales, has developed a device to improve testing and said the current system is "50 years out of date". At the moment a UTI patient may be asked to provide a urine sample which is sent for analysis, with tests back in two to three days. "That's not good enough, we need to make it quicker," said Dr Hayhurst, explaining that the device she's working on would reduce that. "Within 30 minutes the clinician will be able to say what bacteria is causing the UTI and indeed whether there is a UTI in the first place." Dr Hayhurst has received a £50,000 Women in Innovation Award to further her work, but also in recognition of her position as a female role model in the field of science, technology, engineering and medicine - or STEM subjects, as they're also known. "We should be listening to the women who are telling us this is a problem in their lives, but we know many feel like they are being dismissed," she said. Wales' Health Minister Eluned Morgan is due to publish a quality statement on women's health in the summer, and has announced funding for each health board to have a specialist endometriosis nurse. "I feel I have particular responsibility, as the first woman health minister in a long time, to make sure we look at the issue of women's health in a lot more detail," she said. "There are clearly some gaps, certainly when it comes to research, but also in terms of where people are concentrating their efforts and investment. "Quite often, women are not heard in the same way as men are heard and we've really got to make sure we are rebalancing that unconscious bias." Read full story Source: 7 March 2022 -
News ArticleResearch by Garmin finds 40% of young women say they have been accused of over-exaggerating symptoms of UTIs. While it’s clear that already strained services and a lack of funding contributed to the impact of the pandemic on the healthcare system, health inequality isn’t something that’s unique to Covid-19. Instead, it’s often the result of commonly misunderstood, misrepresented and mistreated conditions that disproportionately affect women, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis and urinary tract infections (UTIs). New research from fitness company Garmin, published by The Independent, found that 40% of young women say they have been accused of over-exaggerating symptoms of UTIs or being “overdramatic” about their wellbeing when seeing a doctor. 45% also said they’ve had their UTI symptoms written off as “part of being a woman”. According to the Chronic Urinary Tract Infection Campaign (CUTIC), 50% of all women will suffer at least one UTI episode in their lifetime, one third of these by the age of 24. “Statistics show that UTI is the most common infection seen by GPs,” says CUTIC. “In fact, doctors are so familiar with UTIs that they are frequently dismissed as merely a woman’s problem, rooted in the ‘flawed female anatomy’. “With little training in UTI management, GPs and urologists rely heavily on discredited laboratory tests which miss up to 60% of infections." “The medical training for UTI diagnosis is inadequate and most doctors are not aware of the complexity of this illness. They are trained to accept the test results and look no further,” CUTIC suggests. “It is clear from the recent government probe into menopause that women’s health has not been an area of priority. Conditions which primarily affect women are underfunded and under researched – this includes UTIs. Women are frequently patronised and not believed when they describe symptoms relating to UTIs, peri-menopause, menopause and vaginal atrophy. Medical training fails to include proper diagnosis and effective treatment for such conditions. Change is needed now.” Read full story Source: The Stylist, 2 February 2022 Have you attempted to access treatment for a urinary tract infection (UTI), or recurrent UTIs? We'd love you to share your experiences with us? Share your experience on the hub.
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Content ArticleAntibiotic resistance is a growing issue for medicine globally, so finding alternative medications is a priority for medical research. This study in The BMJ aimed to test and compare the efficacy of methenamine hippurate with the current standard use of daily low dose antibiotics to prevent recurrent urinary tract infections in women. The authors of the study concluded that non-antibiotic prophylactic treatment with methenamine hippurate might be appropriate for women with a history of recurrent episodes of urinary tract infections. The study demonstrated that the treatment had a similar success rate as daily antibiotic prophylaxis.
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Content ArticleUrinary tract infections are painful - but usually short lived. For thousands of women and children though, the problem can last years. Is relief in sight?
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Content ArticleElizabeth Beech's presentation at the Royal Society of Medicine's Improving Patient Safety & Care Conference.
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Content ArticleIn this article for The Independent, Hannah Fearn looks at the issues women face when seeking treatment for urinary tract infections (UTIs). New research from Garmin has found that 40% of young women say they have been accused of over-exaggerating symptoms or being “over dramatic” about their wellbeing when seeing a doctor. The author highlights several personal stories of women who have experienced debilitating recurring urinary tract infections (UTIs), describing dismissive and discriminatory treatment from both GPs and secondary care doctors. She also looks at the work of the UK's only dedicated research centre focused on recurrent UTIs for women, based at London’s Whittington Hospital, and highlights new treatments that are becoming available for women with recurrent UTIs. Have you experienced issues getting treatment for urinary tract infections from your GP or a specialist? Please share your experiences with us in our community discussion about UTIs. Related reading Dangerous exclusions: The risk to patient safety of sex and gender bias (Patient Safety Learning, March 2021) The pain of my IUD fitting was horrific…and I’m not alone Gender bias: A threat to women’s health (August 2020) Medical trauma from IUD fitting: it’s not just five minutes of pain for five years of gain
