Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) TOUCAN STUDY

Half of all women will experience a UTI at least once. The most common treatment is with an antibiotic. However, the number of bacterial infections which are resistant to antibiotics is rising because women are being prescribed antibiotics which they don’t need. This happens because GPs don’t have rapid, accurate diagnostic tests to be sure whether a woman needs antibiotics and, if she does, which antibiotic would be most effective.

The TOUCAN Study is testing new devices that aim to quickly detect UTI and suggest appropriate antibiotic for treatment. These rapid diagnostic tests could help combat antibiotic resistance by guiding immediate antibiotic prescribing and aid effective treatments in patients. This study is focussed on evaluation of primary care provision of POCT for UTI.