From their website;
Uncomplicated cystitis is common and easily treated with drugs such as nitrofurantoin. Kyle Knox asks why women cannot treat themselves, without using up precious appointments in general practice
Acute uncomplicated urinary tract infections (AUUTIs) are common, especially in premenopausal, sexually active women, of whom about 30% will have been affected by age 26.1 AUUTIs usually resolve without sequelae and rarely progress to pyelonephritis, but they result in considerable morbidity, and the goal of treatment is to ameliorate the severity and duration of symptoms.
Source: Women should be able to get antibiotics for urinary tract infection without a prescription | The BMJ
In one of the online BMJ responses;
(The article) argues that: a) the clinical recognition of an uncomplicated cystitis does not require the assessment of a health professional, b) there is good evidence of the efficacy and safety of a 3 day-course of Nitrofurantoin, and c) the threat of a growing resistance to Nitrofurantoin do not outweigh the benefits of easy access to this antibiotic. Thus, why cannot women with an uncomplicated cystitis treat themselves, without using up precious appointments in general practice?
