This retrospective study looked at patients diagnosed with urinary tract infections receiving an IV dose of antibiotics prior to discharge and compared ED length of stay and return visit rate. They found:
“Parenteral antibiotic administration in the ED was associated with a 60-minute increase in ED LOS compared with those who received an oral antibiotic (P < 0.001) and a 30-minute increase in ED LOS compared with no antibiotic (P < 0.001). No differences were observed in revisits to the ED at 72 hours”
Appears no benefit to the practice of IV antibiotics prior to discharge in UTI patients.
References
Association between antibiotic administration before discharge and emergency department length of stay for urinary tract infection: A retrospective analysis
