Antibiogram, Clinical Practice Guidelines, and Treatment of Urinary Tract Infection

Antibiotic resistance challenges nurse practitioners' treatment of simple outpatient urinary tract infections in young females who present with genitourinary symptoms. Prescribing antibiotics is complicated by the emergence of resistant gram-negative urinary tract pathogens. An antibiogram aids nurse practitioners in determining prescribing information based on local resistance patterns, and a clinical practice guideline provides evidence-based recommendations for prescribing antibiotics. Prescribing based on resistance patterns improves the chances of the initial antibiotic treatment to cure and mitigates antibiotic resistance.