Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) and community acquired pneumonia (CAP) are the two most common infections treated in hospitalized patients and are often inappropriately diagnosed. Due to myriad factors—including diagnostic uncertainty—patients are commonly inappropriately diagnosed with UTI or CAP in the emergency department (ED). Antibiotics may be continued throughout the hospitalization even if new information [...]

Background: Inappropriate diagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTI) contributes to antibiotic overuse. We previously validated and refined a patient safety measure that defines inappropriate diagnosis of UTI (i.e., treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria [ASB]) and was endorsed by the National Quality Forum. Use of this measure as a pay-for-performance metric in the Michigan Hospital Medicine Safety [...]

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common bacterial infection in infants, with potentially serious consequences. Even though urinalysis (UA) is a commonly used screening test for UTI, there is a lack of consensus on its accuracy in well-appearing febrile infants below 28 days old. This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of UA, both [...]

Background: Indwelling urinary catheters (IDUCs) are commonplace in hospital medicine wards, facilitating patient care but introducing risks such as catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). The urgency to minimize these complications has spurred initiatives to refine catheter utilization protocols. This study examines the efficacy of the Foley Removal Countdown Strategy, a novel, proactive approach in the [...]