Abstract
Urinary tract infections are one of the most common bacterial infections experienced, with women being affected at disproportionately high rates. Twenty percent of women who experience UTI will also experience recurrent UTI whereby there is another episode of infection within a six-month time period. The aim of this integrative review was to examine published literature investigating the efficacy of probiotic formulations in the prophylaxis against recurrent UTI. This was done utilizing the Whittemore and Knafl (2005) methodology whereby a literature search was conducted using predetermined key words to find relevant primary research. From this eight articles were selected after a process of quality appraisal, using the Joanna Briggs Institute appraisal tools to undergo data analysis using the constant comparison approach. Four key themes emerged from applying a constant comparison data analysis approach to the articles, which included 1. efficacy of probiotic formulations, 2. changes to the microbiome, 3. E. Coli as the leading uropathogen in recurrent UTI and 4. nuances within the probiotic formulations. Ultimately, these four syntheses highlighted how use of probiotics, in a prophylactic manner displayed efficacy against recurrent UTI. This was attributed to the species and strains utilized within the probiotic formulations whereby as a result, not only did recurrency of UTI decrease but additional beneficial effects were observed such as, improvement of symptoms related to UTI and restoration of the vaginal microbiome. The use of probiotics in a prophylactic manner in the management of recurrent UTI, may reduce the utilizing of antimicrobials both as prophylaxis and treatment of recurrent UTI and create better alignment with the aims of the Antimicrobial Stewardship.