Office-based approach to urinary tract infections in 50 000 patients: results from the REWIND study

• Published in: International journal of antimicrobial agents 2020-07, Vol.56 (1), p.105966-105966, Article 105966
• Main Authors: Cai, Tommaso, Palagin, Ivan, Brunelli, Roberto, Cipelli, Riccardo, Pellini, Eliano, Truzzi, José Carlos, Van Bruwaene, Siska
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Ambulatory Care; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Antibiotic prescribing practice; Belgium; Brazil; Ciprofloxacin - therapeutic use; Database study; Female; Fosfomycin - therapeutic use; General practice; Guidelines as Topic; Humans; Italy; Middle Aged; Nitrofurantoin - therapeutic use; Practice Patterns, Physicians' - statistics & numerical data; Russia; Urinary tract infections; Urinary Tract Infections - drug therapy
• ISSN: 0924-8579; 1872-7913
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2020.105966

•Very few studies have looked at prescribing practices for urinary tract infection (UTI) in real-world clinical practice.•This study was based on an overall population of 49 548 female patients with UTI distributed in four countries: Italy (n=38 812), Belgium (n=8335), Russia (n=1503) and Brazil (n=898).•Antibiotic prescription was the most commonly adopted practice to treat UTI.•Fosfomycin trometamol was the most commonly prescribed treatment for UTI in all participating countries.•Although not recommended in international and European guidelines for lower UTI, the use of fluoroquinolones was still widespread. Objectives: The REWIND study sought to describe the real-world clinical and prescribing practices for the management of urinary tract infection (UTI) in Italy, Belgium, Russia and Brazil in order to compare current practices with international, European and national guidelines. Methods: An integrated mixed-methods approach was adopted that used information from primary care electronic medical records in longitudinal patient databases available in Italy and Belgium, and surveys of physicians in Russia (general practitioners) and Brazil (gynaecologists). Results: In total, 49 548 female patients were included in the study. Antibiotics were the most common management option for UTI in Italy (71.1%, n=27 600), Belgium (92.4%, n=7703), Russia (81.9%, n=1231) and Brazil (82.4%, n=740). Fosfomycin trometamol was the first-choice antibiotic for the treatment of UTI in all countries. Ciprofloxacin was also commonly prescribed in Italy (24.6%, n=6796), Belgium (17.8%, n=1373), Russia (14.9%, n=184) and Brazil (9.6%, n=71), while prescription of nitrofurantoin was common in Belgium (24.5%, n=1890) alone. Conclusions: Despite differences in study designs and data sources, fosfomycin trometamol was found to be the most commonly prescribed treatment for UTI in all participating countries. In Belgium, real-world prescribing practices for UTI adhered more closely to European guidelines than national guidelines. Although not recommended in international and European guidelines for lower UTI management, the use of fluoroquinolones was still widespread.