The Impact of De-implementing Urine Dipsticks for Diagnosis of UTIs in Hospitals

Launched by JACOB BODILSEN · Dec 20, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying the effects of stopping the use of urine dipsticks, a common tool for diagnosing urinary tract infections (UTIs), in hospitals in North Denmark. Researchers want to find out how this change might affect how often UTIs are diagnosed, how antibiotics are prescribed, and the overall health outcomes for patients. They are particularly interested in whether not using dipsticks leads to fewer diagnosed UTIs, reduced use of antibiotics, and if these changes have any impact on patient safety, such as the risk of needing intensive care or being readmitted to the hospital.

To be part of this study, patients must be at least 18 years old and have visited an emergency room in the North Denmark Region since 2019. The study will not contact participants directly but will analyze existing health records to gather information. Researchers will compare data from hospitals that stopped using dipsticks with those that still use them, which will help them understand the broader impact of this change on patient care.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • All patients admitted to emergency rooms (≥18 years) from 2019 and forward.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Patients directly admitted to an inpatient unit without first visiting an emergency room are excluded from the study.
• • For the primary analysis, only the first admission will be included; subsequent admissions will be excluded.