Utilization of Antibiotics for the Treatment of Urinary Tract Infections in End-of-Life Patients.

Purpose: The use of antibiotics for end-of-life patients is controversial; currently there is limited guidance on the use of antibiotics in hospice patients. The threat of antibiotic resistance, risk of adverse events, variable efficacy, and time to benefit in hospice patients makes their use divisive. Patients' potential care needs are estimated using the palliative performance scale (PPS) with lower scores indicating more care is required.