From Cloudy to Clarity – Smarter UTI Management

Join us In this episode with guest hosts Dr. Aaron Anderson and Noah Dobson PA as, we unpack one of the most common — and often misunderstood — clinical challenges in skilled nursing facilities: urinary tract infection (UTI) management. Our discussion centers on how to distinguish true infections from asymptomatic bacteriuria, why over-testing leads to overtreatment, and how providers can apply better clinical judgment to protect residents and preserve antibiotic effectiveness.We break down key decision points:•    When to test — identifying residents with localized urinary symptoms or systemic signs consistent with infection.•    When not to test — recognizing that cloudy urine, foul odor, or simple confusion don’t automatically indicate a UTI.•    When and how to treat — following antibiotic stewardship principles, ensuring cultures guide therapy, and balancing clinical action with conservative management.Through real-world examples from the geriatric care setting, we explore how interdisciplinary teams — nurses, NPs, physicians, and infection control leads — can collaborate to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use, improve diagnostic accuracy, and enhance care quality in the skilled nursing environment.By the end of this episode, listeners will gain practical frameworks to support more deliberate testing, smarter prescribing, and better resident outcomes — turning a routine diagnosis into an opportunity for clinical excellence.