Project overview
Half of all women will experience a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) at least once in their lifetime. The most common treatment is antibiotics, however infections with bacteria which are resistant to common antibiotics are rising and in part this is because it is difficult for GPs to know for sure which women need antibiotics, and which antibiotics should be prescribed to effectively treat the infection.
Current tests for diagnosing UTIs are slow, inaccurate or both. The current standard of care involves using a combination of symptoms, signs and simple dipstick results to predict which women are most likely to have confirmed infection. Better tests, with results available to guide prescriptions, are required to help clinicians avoid prescribing antibiotics in women who do not need them and prescribe the correct antibiotics to those who do. Rapid diagnostic tests which can indicate the presence of UTI and suggest which antibiotics will be effective are now in the early stages of development. These could give clinicians and patients the power to make immediate appropriate treatment decisions.
The TOUCAN study is testing these new devices. To make sure that the devices give reliable information, we will compare the results from the new tests performed in GP surgeries with established tests performed in a specialised laboratory.
Current tests for diagnosing UTIs are slow, inaccurate or both. The current standard of care involves using a combination of symptoms, signs and simple dipstick results to predict which women are most likely to have confirmed infection. Better tests, with results available to guide prescriptions, are required to help clinicians avoid prescribing antibiotics in women who do not need them and prescribe the correct antibiotics to those who do. Rapid diagnostic tests which can indicate the presence of UTI and suggest which antibiotics will be effective are now in the early stages of development. These could give clinicians and patients the power to make immediate appropriate treatment decisions.
The TOUCAN study is testing these new devices. To make sure that the devices give reliable information, we will compare the results from the new tests performed in GP surgeries with established tests performed in a specialised laboratory.
Staff
Lead researcher