Urinary Tract Infections: Leading Initiatives in Selecting Empiric Outpatient Treatment (UTILISE).

Background: Overuse of fluoroquinolone antibiotics is associated with outbreaks of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea and increasing resistance in gram-negative organisms. Over the past decade, resistance of Escherichia coli to ciprofloxacin has increased in the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region. In August 2011, an exploratory audit of the Regina General Hospital (RGH) emergency department showed that 20% of new antibiotic orders were for fluoroquinolones, and 60% of these new fluoroquinolone orders were for ciprofloxacin.