Radhika Rastogi1, Kathryn A Martinez2, Niyati Gupta2, Mark Rood3, Michael B Rothberg2. 1. Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, 9500 Euclid Ave/NA21, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA. rastogr@ccf.org. 2. Cleveland Clinic Center for Value-Based Care Research, Cleveland, OH, USA. 3. Department of Family Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Urinary tract infections (UTI) are a common reason for seeking care via direct to consumer (DTC) telemedicine, yet patterns of care, including antibiotic prescribing, have not been reported. OBJECTIVE: To describe management of UTI in a large nationwide DTC telemedicine platform. DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study. PARTICIPANTS: Patients seeking care for or diagnosed with UTI via DTC telemedicine between July 2016 and July 2018. MAIN MEASURES: Patient measures included age, sex, geographic region, satisfaction with care, and patient-reported call reason. High-risk patients were defined as males, patients over 65 years, or those diagnosed with pyelonephritis. Physician measures included specialty and geographic region. Antibiotic prescription was assessed overall and by antibiotic type. Variation in antibiotic prescriptions was assessed by patient and physician factors, including geographic region of both parties. KEY RESULTS: Of the 20,600 patients diagnosed with a UTI during the study period, 96% were female. Most (84%) stated their call reason was a UTI. Overall, 94% of UTI patients received an antibiotic; 56% got nitrofurantoin, 29% got trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and 10% got a quinolone. Receipt of an antibiotic was associated with higher satisfaction with care (p < 0.001). While nitrofurantoin was the most common antibiotic for all physician regions, antibiotic type varied by physician region. Of the 6% of the study population defined as high risk, 69% received an antibiotic: 72% of males, 91% of women over 65, and 21% of patients diagnosed with pyelonephritis. CONCLUSIONS: Management of UTI via DTC telemedicine appears to be appropriate for average-risk patients, and most are able to self-diagnose. Most patients received guideline-concordant care, but over half of high-risk patients received antibiotics. DTC telemedicine offers convenient, low-cost care that is generally appropriate. Efforts should be made to ensure high-risk patients get proper follow-up.
BACKGROUND: Urinary tract infections (UTI) are a common reason for seeking care via direct to consumer (DTC) telemedicine, yet patterns of care, including antibiotic prescribing, have not been reported. OBJECTIVE: To describe management of UTI in a large nationwide DTC telemedicine platform. DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study. PARTICIPANTS: Patients seeking care for or diagnosed with UTI via DTC telemedicine between July 2016 and July 2018. MAIN MEASURES: Patient measures included age, sex, geographic region, satisfaction with care, and patient-reported call reason. High-risk patients were defined as males, patients over 65 years, or those diagnosed with pyelonephritis. Physician measures included specialty and geographic region. Antibiotic prescription was assessed overall and by antibiotic type. Variation in antibiotic prescriptions was assessed by patient and physician factors, including geographic region of both parties. KEY RESULTS: Of the 20,600 patients diagnosed with a UTI during the study period, 96% were female. Most (84%) stated their call reason was a UTI. Overall, 94% of UTIpatients received an antibiotic; 56% got nitrofurantoin, 29% got trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and 10% got a quinolone. Receipt of an antibiotic was associated with higher satisfaction with care (p < 0.001). While nitrofurantoin was the most common antibiotic for all physician regions, antibiotic type varied by physician region. Of the 6% of the study population defined as high risk, 69% received an antibiotic: 72% of males, 91% of women over 65, and 21% of patients diagnosed with pyelonephritis. CONCLUSIONS: Management of UTI via DTC telemedicine appears to be appropriate for average-risk patients, and most are able to self-diagnose. Most patients received guideline-concordant care, but over half of high-risk patients received antibiotics. DTC telemedicine offers convenient, low-cost care that is generally appropriate. Efforts should be made to ensure high-risk patients get proper follow-up.
Authors: Kathryn A Martinez; Mark Rood; Nikhyl Jhangiani; Lei Kou; Susannah Rose; Adrienne Boissy; Michael B Rothberg Journal: J Gen Intern Med Date: 2018-08-15 Impact factor: 5.128
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