Evaluating the Impact of a Urinalysis to Reflex Culture Process Change in the Emergency Department at a Veterans Affairs Hospital.

Background: Although automated urine cultures (UCs) following urinalysis (UA) are often used in emergency departments (EDs) to identify urinary tract infections (UTIs), results are often reported as no organism growth or the growth of clinically insignificant organisms, leading to the overdetection and overtreatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB).

Methods: A process change was implemented at a US Department of Veterans Affairs medical center ED that automatically cancelled UCs if UAs had < 5 white blood cells per high-power field (WBC/HPF). An option for do not cancel (DNC) UC was available. Data were prospectively collected for 3 months postimplementation and included UA/UC results, presence of UTI symptoms, antibiotics prescribed, and health care utilization.

Results: Postintervention, 684 UAs (37.2%) were evaluated from ED visits. Postintervention, of 255 UAs, 95 (37.3%) were negative with UC cancelled, 95 (37.3%) were positive with UC processed, 43 (16.9%) were ordered as DNC, and 22 (8.6%) were ordered without a UC. UC processing despite a negative UA significantly decreased from 100% preintervention to 38.6% postintervention ( < .001). Inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics for ASB was reduced from 10.2% preintervention to 1.9% postintervention (odds ratio = 0.17; = .01). In patients with negative UA specimens, antibiotic prescribing decreased by 25.3% postintervention. No reports of outpatient, ED, or hospital visits for symptomatic UTI were found within 7 days of the initial UA postintervention.

Conclusions: The UA to reflex culture process change resulted in a significant reduction in processing of inappropriate UCs and unnecessary antibiotic use for ASB. There were no missed UTIs or other adverse patient outcomes.