The role of multidisciplinary collaboration in the management of urinary tract infections

In this latest episode of the Complicated UTI Podcast Series, Kim Leuthner, PharmD, FIDSA, discusses the importance of improving personalized medicine for the treatment of complicated UTIs and the role of antimicrobial stewardship in dealing with the matter.

Leuthner suggests that electronic health records can be used to develop effective communication systems between hospitals, particularly to share information about patients’ medical histories of resistance and colonization with multidrug-resistant organisms. This can help to quickly isolate infected patients and make appropriate empirical treatment choices.

Antimicrobial stewardship is highlighted as a crucial approach to monitoring institutional practices, providing education on pathogens and dosing, collaborating with infection control specialists, optimizing diagnostics and combating resistance. Leuthner highlights the need for greater engagement and understanding on the part of individual physicians to recognize the value of stewardship in optimizing patient care, improving diagnostics, and preserving the microbiome.

Finally, Leuthner notes the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration among healthcare professionals to achieve successful management and prevent resistance.

This is part three of a mini podcast series with Kim Leuthner, PharmD, FIDSA, Clinical Infectious Diseases Specialist at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada. Click here for part 1in which Leuthner breaks down what makes a UTI complicated and highlights the patients most at risk.