Expert Flags Hidden Crisis in the Way UTIs Are Diagnosed

For many women, UTIs are something they routinely experience. These usually start as a burning sensation or a sudden urge to use the bathroom. For some, there is a sudden onset of discomfort that they just cannot ignore. While many receive a dose of antibiotics after being told what’s bothering them “is just a UTI,” several questions remain in the mind of the woman. 

Was the sample used reliable? Did they receive the right diagnosis? Was the medical professional sure about what’s going on? These uncertainties put the issue beyond a medical one and expand it into a human issue as well. 

Giovanna Forte, a health tech entrepreneur and co-founder of UK-based Forte Medical, explains that there is a hidden crisis in the diagnostic process of urinary tract infections (UTIs). 

The first challenge she highlights is the urine sample collection, a basic process in the diagnostic process. Patients are simply given a collection device and told to head to the bathroom and get a sample. Forte says this approach leaves several things unaddressed. 

One important one is that for a UTI test to be reliable, a midstream urine sample is the right one to use. Not many health care professionals instruct patients to provide this particular sample or explain how to collect it. 

The other challenge is that most sample collection containers on the market make it hard or messy to get the midstream urine sample. A woman easing herself has to attempt to get the sample while the stream of urine is flowing, and that can cause urine to splash around. This increases the chance of cross-contamination. 

When the sample taken isn’t a midstream one, chances of a missed or wrong diagnosis are high and this could result in delayed treatment or the use of antibiotics when such medications weren’t necessary in the first place. 

Since the sample collection process isn’t clearly explained to patients, Forte explains, uncertainties arise in the mind of the patient because they aren’t sure whether they did the right thing while obtaining the sample. A cascade of additional uncertainties arises from this, such as questions as to whether they obtained the right diagnosis and whether the prescription given was the appropriate one. 

Given that the world is grappling with widespread antimicrobial resistance, it is important that UTI diagnosis is fine-tuned so that antibiotic use is resorted to only when it is unavoidable. A defective UTI diagnosis process often results in recurrent infection and the need to use stronger antibiotics to contain the problem, which fuels antibiotic resistance. 

For women, recurrent UTIs impact their work, their social lives, families and even their self-confidence. Perhaps companies like Co-Diagnostics Inc. (NASDAQ: CODX) could develop next-gen UTI diagnostic tools that address the sample collection gaps as efforts are also directed towards streamlining the diagnostic process by establishing guidelines that professionals provide to patients when the need for a urine sample arises. 

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