Urinary Tract Infections in Aged Care: Are you still dipping?

This webinar will take you through just why dipsticks are not appropriate, and what we should be doing instead, with an introduction to the To Dip or Not to Dip program. If you've not come across this before, this session will give you a thorough grounding in the clinical pathway it recommends and give you some ideas for how to start using it in practice. 
CPD HOURS: 1
 Registration Year 2026/2027

Course Content

There's no question that UTIs are a common problem in aged care. However, there's strong evidence that a significant proportion of antibiotic prescriptions in this setting are inappropriate.

Overuse of antibiotics has some far-reaching consequences on a population level, with increased antimicrobial resistance, and individually, with antibiotics causing side effects that stretch from nausea and diarrhoea to C. diff infection.
Urinalysis with a dipstick test has been a well-established habit - it's quick, it's not expensive, it's not invasive, and it doesn't require lots of training to do. However, it's really not a useful diagnostic tool in this population, and it's the main driver for inappropriate antibiotic prescribing.

This webinar will take you through just why dipsticks are not appropriate, and what we should be doing instead, with an introduction to the To Dip or Not to Dip program. If you've not come across this before, this session will give you a thorough grounding in the clinical pathway it recommends and give you some ideas for how to start using it in practice.
This clinical pathway is well validated with evidence derived from Australian and UK residential aged care settings, and is endorsed by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission as an antimicrobial stewardship measure.

It will cover antibiotic resistance, asymptomatic bacteriuria, alternative causes that may be misattributed to UTI, and best practice in antibiotic use for UTIs. It also works through some case studies and communication strategies you can use in your day to day practice.

Why this session may be relevant to your work

Urine dipsticks are often misused in practice, and relying on them can lead to misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment. Understanding when not to use them, and what to do instead, supports accurate assessment, reduces unnecessary antibiotics, and aligns your practice with current clinical pathways.

Learning Outcomes

In this session, you will:
  • Explain why asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is common in aged care residents and why it does not require antibiotic treatment
  • Describe the limitations of urine dipstick testing in adults over 65 and catheterised residents 
  • Apply a symptom-based clinical pathway to assess residents with suspected UTI 
  • Describe how the To Dip or Not to Dip (TDONTD) program supports antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) obligations under the Aged Care Quality Standards 

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Amy Gibson

BPharm GCertHlthProfEd MClinPharm
Amy is a credentialed clinical pharmacist with experience across a range of sectors, including community pharmacy, corporate pharmacy operations, multidisciplinary teams, residential aged care and general practice.