Treatment of urinary tract infections in Dutch hospitals.

The antibiotic policy in 34 Dutch formularies for the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTI) was evaluated. A great variation in antibiotic therapy for the treatment of cystitis was observed: the length of therapy ranged from 1 to 14 days, the agents recommended included older compounds such as trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and newer agents such as ciprofloxacin. Recommendations for the treatment of acute pyelonephritis were: a 2 week course of co-trimoxazole in 20 out of 34 formularies. Likewise for acute prostatitis less variation was observed for the length of treatment, i.e. 2 weeks co-trimoxazole, doxycycline or quinolones.