Management criteria, documentation, and peer review of initial urinary tract infection.

During part of a national study to formulate criteria for chart audit of quality assurance of child health care, criteria were developed for diagnosis and management of urinary tract infections. These criteria were validated by pediatricians and family physicians in academic medicine and in practice. They were judged relevant to the medical care process and patient outcome by both. The selected criteria were also recommended by the majority of two large physician groups for use in peer review. An important aspect of the study assessed the frequency of performing and recording indicated procedures or tests. In the first three phases of the study these criteria were said to be performed and recorded by a large majority of physicians. However, in the fourth (community) phase, when charts of 166 primary care physicians were actually audited, documentation was so poor that peer review by chart audit would be impractical at present. Assuming proper documentation of the medical care process, similar criteria could be used for chart audit, clinical research, and educational purposes. Since the diagnostic and management process of initial urinary tract infection is established, development of structured health care forms and education in proper record-keeping are two important challenges for those interested in the evaluation of ambulatory care.