Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) In Women

Foxman and Buxton (2013) posited that UTI is common among sexually active young women aged 18 to 24. Their study further provided that the condition is not associated with increased mortality or loss of renal function; however, it causes suffering and pain among the patients, negatively affecting their quality of life. Bosch-Nicolau et al. (2017) stated that the condition provides a common reason for primary care, antimicrobial consumption, and hospital admission. Empirical evidence provides that pyelonephritis, a common type of UTI, causes significant short-term morbidity concerns among patients and can cause severe complications and death if not diagnosed (Bosch-Nicolau et al., 2017; Fulop, 2021). However, sufficient prompt treatment of UTI constitutes the provision of antibiotic treatments to lower its morbidity and mortality. The current paper presents an experience with a urinary tract infection patient in the first visit and pyelonephritis in the follow-up visit. The paper also presents approaches to UTI treatment and the standardized procedures for its diagnosis based on the current peer-reviewed literature. Finally, the paper offers a comparison of the treatment plan as depicted in the patient’s SOAP note and those in the contemporary literature.   

Review of topic and rationale for selection of topic

According to Medina and Castillo-Pino (2019), resistance to antimicrobial therapies is rising; thus, the need to implement non-antimicrobial treatment strategies to prevent and diagnose UTIs. Based on their study, several strategies have been proposed as interventions to help decrease UTIs. For instance, the study explains that urinary alkalization, increased fluid intake, and Lactobacillus probiotics, Cranberry, and low estrogens can be implemented to decrease UTI rates. However, known peer-reviewed studies examining the influence of these strategies have largely failed to demonstrate beyond their modest benefits.