5
Assessment
STEP 3: Which Criteria Are Available for the Diagnosis and
Management of UTI in the PALTC Setting?
➤ Post-acute and long-term care (PALTC) settings should use one of
the established clinical algorithms (see examples below) to guide
the diagnosis and decision to initiate antibiotics for residents with
a suspected UTI and incorporate those criteria into their antibiotic
stewardship policy.
• Loeb minimum criteria describes the clinical signs and symptoms that can guide
the decision to initiate antibiotics. (See Appendix A)
• The AHRQ tool, developed in a SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment and
Request) format, assists clinicians in deciding when to initiate an antibiotic.
(See Appendix B)
• International Delphi consensus criteria recognizes both specific and nonspecific
signs and symptoms that are associated with UTI in practice, indicating
combinations of those signs and symptoms that justify antibiotic prescribing.
(See Appendix C)
• The IOU consensus recommendation describes a set of signs and symptoms most
likely to indicate uncomplicated cystitis in non-catheterized residents.
(See Appendix D)
