Compliance to guidelines and rational use of antibiotics in urinary tract infections in Lebanon: a cross-sectional study

Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) are among the most common bacterial infections, and appropriate antimicrobial therapy with agents that maximize success and minimize resistance is crucial. Despite international concern, adherence to guidelines is still suboptimal.

Objectives: Determine the rate of conformity to guidelines among Lebanese physicians in antibiotic prescriptions for the outpatient treatment of UTIs in adults; and detect the factors that are associated with a higher rate of non-compliance to guidelines.

Methods: Patient-related characteristics and the prescribed course of antibiotics were gathered from patients' medical files, and a questionnaire was directed to physicians to elicit the factors likely to be involved in decision-making. Prescriptions were evaluated using 4 criteria: Molecule conformity, Daily Dose conformity, Duration conformity, and Global conformity.