Perceived Knowledge, Guidelines Concordance, and Practices of Physicians for Management of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections in Women

Abstract

Background: Recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTIs) are common complaints that burden the healthcare system. Reporting perceived knowledge and guidelines in concordance regarding the management of (rUTI) is essential for providing better healthcare and higher treatment rate. This study assesses the perceived knowledge, guidelines concordance, and physicians' practices toward treatment of (rUTI) among physicians with different specialties. Study design: This questionnaire-based survey included residents, fellows, and consultants of various specialties across several regions in Saudi Arabia. Results: A total of 419 physicians were included in the final analysis. In terms of age distribution, the majority were 28-38 years of age (159, 37.9%), followed by 18-28 years (99, 23.6%). Gender distribution was nearly balanced. The sample included a significant number of residents (182, 43.4%), consultants (173, 41.3%), and fellows (64, 15.3%). OBS/GYNE shows a significant presence of females (40.6%) and is notably represented in private hospitals or clinics (52.5%) and among fellows (40.6%) and consultants (32.4%). Infectious disease physicians had the highest perceived knowledge scores (3.83 ± 0.09), followed closely by urologists/urogynecologists (3.67 ± 0.48). Urologists/urogynecologists also reported the highest satisfaction (4.24 ± 0.83) and familiarity (2.89 ± 1.11) with new rUTI guidelines. Infectious disease physicians were most confident (3.50 ± 0.71) in communicating with patients about rUTI treatment options. In terms of practices and guideline adherence, obstetricians/gynaecologists were more likely to repeat urine sample tests for suspected contamination (3.73 ± 1.00) and less likely to treat asymptomatic bacteriuria (1.33 ± 0.59) the same as UTIs compared to other physicians. They also scored highest in conducting post-treatment tests for asymptomatic patients (3.21 ± 1.37) and recommending vaginal estrogen therapy for peri- and post-menopausal women to prevent UTIs (3.59 ± 1.06) among all specialties. Conversely, urologists and urogynecologists were more likely to discuss antibiotic prophylaxis (3.79 ± 0.89) and cranberry prophylaxis (3.71 ± 0.73) with their rUTI patients. Conclusion: The findings highlight variations in knowledge, satisfaction, familiarity with guidelines, confidence in communication, and guideline concordance among different physician specialities regarding the management of UTIs and rUTIs.