Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the second most common type of infection in the US, accounting for 10.5 million office visits per year and 50 percent of all Medicare hospital admissions.
UTI is among the most common cause of bacterial infections in long-term care facility residents.
Effective treatment of a UTI depends on the accurate identification of the pathogen(s) and the correct choice of antibiotic(s). Although culture-based clinical laboratory testing methods remain the gold standard for diagnosing UTI in both research and clinical laboratories, the clinical utility of such methods continues to be called into question.
About 60 percent of all women will develop a UTI during their lifetime.5 of those, 25 to 30 percent are likely to have a repeat infection. These infections can be devastating. Complicated or untreated UTIs frequently cause sepsis in older adults above 65 years of age, with mortality ranging from 25-60%. About 50 percent of all sepsis cases among nursing home residents originate from UTIs.
According to CMS, only 1% of Physicians are highly trained in Infectious Disease, and over 50% of Antibiotics prescribed, are done so incorrectly.