Last week we discussed the risks of sepsis in residents with pneumonia, but did you know that urinary tract infections (UTI) can often lead to sepsis as well? Although UTIs are common infections in even healthy adults, not all UTIs are treated quickly and can spread to the kidney, causing pain and severe illness. When this happens, the resident is …
Despite being anong the most common infections, the diagnosis and management of urinary tract infections (UTIs) remains challenging, particularly among residents of post-acute and long-term care (PALTC) settings. Insufficient awareness of evidence-based guidelines regarding UTIs, entrenched practice partners, as well as pressure from other staff and concerned family members can all contribute to over-diagnosis and unnecessary antibiotic use for presumed …
The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society published the results of a statewide program to improve the management of suspected urinary tract infections in long-term care. The reason the study was done was that too many residents were being treated for UTIs when in actuality they were experiencing “asymptomatic bacteriuria”. What does this mean? Well, maybe we need to go …
