Randomized Trial of Culture Directed Versus Empiric Antibiotics for Urinary Tract Infections in Older Women

To evaluate A) the feasibility of recruiting eligible subjects into a randomized trial of a culture-directed versus empiric antibiotic strategy for patient-reported urinary tract infection (UTI) symptoms in older women and B) the adherence to study procedures. We will recruit and enroll women with a history of recurrent UTI (rUTI) from the Women's Center for Bladder and Pelvic Health and the University of Pittsburgh's Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Pitt+Me® Research Registry. Once enrolled and randomized, women will be followed for a total of 28 days to document both clinical resolution at day 7 from symptom onset and adverse events. H1) Enrolling a total of 70 subjects in \<1 year (at least 10% of eligible patients) will demonstrate feasibility of recruitment and H2) Documenting at least 70% patient compliance with study procedures will confirm patient adherence to study protocol. Exploratory Aim: To explore the safety of a culture-directed UTI treatment strategy and preliminary secondary outcomes of assigned treatments. H1) There will be an overall low number of adverse events and H2) Preliminary outcome data will help power future trial.