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Factors Associated with Receiving First-Line Antibiotics for Urinary Tract Infections in Urgent Care Clinics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2026

Geneva Wilson
Affiliation:
Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital
Susheel Reddy
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
Muhammad Dhanani
Affiliation:
Northwestern University
Deja Glover
Affiliation:
Northwestern Medicine
Mackenzie Keintz
Affiliation:
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Katie Suda
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Jasmine Marcelin
Affiliation:
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Charlesnika Evans
Affiliation:
Northwestern University / Department of Veterans Affairs

Abstract

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Background: Urinary tract infections (UTI) are common in the outpatient setting and a key focus of antimicrobial stewardship efforts. Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing persists, including low utilization of first-line agents. Limited research exists evaluating the drivers of variations in antibiotic prescribing for UTI. This analysis assessed associations between patient, clinician, and neighborhood factors and receipt of a first-line antibiotic for UTI. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of adult (18 and over) urgent care visits from January 2023 to April 2025 in an integrated academic healthcare system was conducted, assessing antibiotic prescriptions for uncomplicated UTI visits. First-line antibiotics were defined as nitrofurantoin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and fosfomycin according to IDSA clinical guidelines. Only visits associated with an antibiotic prescription were included in the analysis. Patient health status was assessed using the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Neighborhood factors were assessed using the Area Deprivation Index (ADI). Clustered logistic regression models were fit to assess factors associated with the likelihood of receiving first-line antibiotics. Results: A total of 13,092 UTI visits were included, of which 58% received first-line antibiotics. Patients were primarily White (73.7%), female (89.4%), and used commercial insurance (56.9%). The average age was 54.1 years, and the average CCI was 1.9. Age was associated with a lower likelihood of receiving first-line therapy; each additional year of age (<18) was associated with a 1% decrease in odds (Adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.98, 0.99). Similarly, each one-point increase in CCI decreased the likelihood of receiving first-line antibiotics by 4% (aOR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.94, 0.97). Compared with men, women were less likely to receive first-line antibiotics (aOR=0.55, 95% CI=0.48, 0.62). Treatment by a physician assistant (PA) (aOR=0.91, 95%CI=0.83, 0.98) or a registered nurse (APRN) (aOR=0.66, 95%CI=0.60, 0.73) was associated with a reduced likelihood of first-line medication. Finally, being on Medicaid (aOR=0.82, 95% CI=0.71, 0.94) or Medicare (aOR=0.82, 95% CI=0.73, 0.91) was associated with a decreased likelihood of receiving first-line antibiotics. No statistically significant association was found between living in a more disadvantaged neighborhood, as measured by the ADI, and receiving first-line antibiotics. Discussion: Being older, female, in poorer health, treated by a PA or APRN, or having Medicare/Medicaid were associated with a lower likelihood of receiving first-line antibiotics for UTI. These findings provide critical information to understand variations in antibiotic prescribing for UTI. Further work is needed to identify the drivers of these differences to improve equity in stewardship.

Information

Type
Antibiotic Stewardship
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America