Why this study is important

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are very common in children, with three per cent having at least one in their lifetime. In most cases children can be treated with antibiotics taken by mouth.

But in some children, it can be a bit complicated, like when they are vomiting. Then, we might give antibiotics through a vein, known as intravenous (IV) or drip antibiotics. Some children only get a single dose of IV antibiotics then switch to antibiotics by mouth, while others receive three doses over three days before switching.

Longer courses of IV antibiotics means more days in hospital and more days with a drip in.

Can one dose of IV antibiotics treat UTIs as well as three doses?

We’re running a study to find out if a single dose of intravenous (IV) antibiotics is just as effective at treating urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children as three doses. If it is, children could recover just as well and get home sooner.

We expect that three days after the first dose, children in both groups will be feeling better. If that’s the case, it means one dose works just as well as three doses.

In this video, Associate Professor Penelope Bryant outlines the reason this study is important for our for children.

Information for participants & families

Participating children will be randomly allocated to one of the two treatment arms.

That means that you or your doctor (in the Emergency Department or the ward) cannot choose how many days of IV you receive.

Half of the children in this study will receive one dose IV antibiotics and half will receive three doses. Both groups will switch to antibiotics by mouth after their IV and will receive seven days of antibiotics in total.

During this time, we will:

1. Ask you to check your child’s temperature three times a day for three days
2. Contact you to ask how your child is doing

In this video, Dr Laila Ibrahim details the CHOICE UTI trial for participants.

Study locations

This international study includes five sites across Australia and New Zealand.

• The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH), Melbourne
  Senior Coordinating Principle Investigator: Associate Professor Penelope Bryant
  Coordinating Principle Investigator: Dr Laila Ibrahim
  
  
• Adelaide Women and Children’s Hospital
  Site Principle Investigator: Associate Professor Amit Kochar
  
  
• Perth Children’s Hospital
  Site Principle Investigator: Professor Meredith Borland
  
  
• Monash Medical Centre
  Site Principle Investigator: Professor Simon Craig
  
  
• Starship Hospital, New Zealand
  Site Principle Investigator: Professor Stuart Dalziel

Funding

Funding for the CHOICE UTI trial is from a Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Grant and The Royal Children's Hospital Foundation Grant.

CHOICE UTI is sponsored by Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI).

Collaborations

Special thanks go to all of those involved in the running of our study:

• Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaborative (PREDICT) network
• Site research teams
• Study consumer group
• Steering Committee
• DSMB Committee
• Statisticians

Contact us

CHOICE UTI
Murdoch Children's Research Institute
The Royal Children's Hospital
50 Flemington Road
Parkville VIC 3052
Australia

Lucy Hill, Research Assistant
Email:  show email address