Objectives: Telemedicine visits are an increasingly popular method of care for mild infectious complaints, including uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs), and they are an important target for antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) to evaluate quality of prescribing. In this study, we compared antimicrobial prescribing in a primary care network for uncomplicated UTIs treated through virtual visits and at in-office visits. Design: Retrospective cohort study comparing guideline-concordant antibiotic prescribing for uncomplicated UTI between virtual visits and office visits. Setting: Primary care network composed of 44 outpatient sites and a single virtual visit platform. Patients: Adult female patients diagnosed with a UTI between January 1 and December 31, 2018. Methods: Virtual visit prescribing was compared to office visit prescribing, including agent, duration, and patient outcomes. The health system ASP provides annual education to all outpatient providers regarding local antibiogram trends and prescribing guidelines. Guideline-concordant therapy was assessed based on the network’s ASP guidelines. Results: In total, 350 patients were included, with 175 per group. Patients treated for a UTI through a virtual visit were more likely to receive a first-line antibiotic agent (74.9% vs 59.4%; P = .002) and guideline-concordant duration (100% vs 53.1%; P < .001). Patients treated through virtual visits were also less likely to have a urinalysis (0% vs 97.1%; P < .001) or urine culture (0% vs 73.1%; P < .001) ordered and were less likely to revisit within 7 days (5.1% vs 18.9%; P < .001). Conclusions: UTI care through a virtual visit was associated with more appropriate antimicrobial prescribing compared to office visits and decreased utilization of diagnostic and follow-up resources.

Background Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common infectious indications for antibiotic prescribing in the outpatient setting. With the exponential growth of virtual visits over the past decade, virtual visits represent an important ambulatory care target for antimicrobial stewardship programs outside of traditional office visits. This study aimed to compare the appropriateness of antimicrobial therapy between virtual visits and office visits for adult females diagnosed with uncomplicated UTIs within a primary care network. Methods This retrospective cohort study evaluated adult female patients diagnosed with a UTI within a primary care network comprised of 44 outpatient sites. The primary objective was to compare guideline-concordant antibiotic prescribing between virtual visits and office visits. Guideline-concordance was determined based on local antibiogram-based treatment recommendations. Secondary objectives included comparing appropriate treatment duration and use of diagnostic testing resources between groups. Additionally, patient outcomes were compared between groups including 48-hour, 7-day, and 30-day re-visits, or development of Clostridioides difficile infection within 30 days. Results A total of 350 patients were included in this study, with 175 patients in each group. Patients treated for a UTI via a virtual visit were more likely to be prescribed a first-line antibiotic (74.9% vs 59.4%; P = 0.002). Additionally, virtual visits were more likely to prescribe an appropriate duration (100% vs 53.1%; P= &lt; 0.0001). Patients treated via office visits were more likely to have a urinalysis (0% vs 97.1%; P &lt; 0.001) and urine culture (0% vs 73.1%; P &lt; 0.0001) ordered. There was no difference between groups in 48-hour or 30-day revisits, however, patients completing office visits were more likely to have a revisit within 7 days (18.9% vs 5.1%; P &lt; 0.0001). In multivariate logistic regression, UTI care via office visit was the only independent risk factor for 7-day revisit (OR 3.74, 95% CI 1.31 -10.67). Conclusion In adult female patients presenting with uncomplicated UTIs, care at a virtual visit was associated with significantly improved antimicrobial prescribing compared to office visits and decreased utilization of diagnostic and follow-up resources. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures