

Successful implementation relies on prescribing clinicians. Introduce the Suspected UTI SBAR form to prescribing clinicians.Implementing the toolkit involves three steps. How Do I Implement the Suspected UTI SBAR Toolkit? Urinalysis and UTIs: Improving Care provides training modules about the form for nursing staff (tool 4) ( PDF | Word).Not All “Infections” Need Antibiotics: A handout for nurses describing the form (tool 3) ( PDF).A Clinician Letter: A template for a letter to prescribing clinicians explaining the form and its rationale (tool 2) ( PDF | Word).Suspected UTI SBAR form (tool 1) ( PDF) also available in a simplified, one-page format ( Word) that can be edited.The toolkit includes the following tools:

This form consists of questions that help nurses collect the most relevant information about a resident with a suspected UTI for the prescribing clinician, who then uses the information to assess the need for an antibiotic prescription. The primary tool in this toolkit is the Suspected UTI SBAR form. The Suspected UTI SBAR toolkit helps nursing home staff and prescribing clinicians communicate about suspected UTIs and facilitates appropriate antibiotic prescribing. As such, the Suspected Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Situation, Background, Assessment, and Request (SBAR) toolkit aims to help prescribing clinicians make this differentiation. 2 However, it can be difficult to differentiate between a UTI that requires an antibiotic prescription and asymptomatic bacteriuria, which does not require antibiotics and should not be treated. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most commonly diagnosed infections in nursing homes. 1 Overview of the Toolkit Why Should a Nursing Home Use the Suspected UTI SBAR Toolkit? A study in 12 nursing homes in Texas found that using the Suspected UTI SBAR form reduced antibiotic prescriptions for asymptomatic bacteriuria by about one-third.
