Letting patients decide when to stop antibiotics: a pilot study
NCT ID NCT06127160
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Aug 04, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This pilot study tested whether women with kidney infections could safely stop antibiotics once their symptoms resolved, instead of taking a full 10-day course. 35 women were randomly assigned to either standard treatment or a patient-directed approach. The main goal was to see if such a study is feasible and safe, not to prove effectiveness.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Cephalexin
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to shorter, more personalized antibiotic courses for kidney infections, reducing side effects and antibiotic resistance.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study (35 participants) testing feasibility, not effectiveness. The approach may not work for everyone or could lead to higher relapse rates.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 4
Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.
- Participants
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39 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Jun 2024
- Finished
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Aug 2025
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 55 years
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion: * Females between 18 and 55 years of age * Diagnosis of acute uncomplicated pyelonephritis * Can be discharged home on oral antimicrobial treatment * Ability to provide written informed consent in English or Spanish Exclusion: * Took antibiotics in the prior 48 hours * Insulin-dependent diabetes * End-stage liver disease * If the patient reports a penicillin allergy, and is deemed to be high-risk using the penicillin allergy clinical decision rule (PEN-FAST) * Serious allergy (e.g., angioedema, anaphylaxis) to the study medication or a similarly reported allergy to a cephalosporin * Known or identified hydronephrosis, obstruction, or abscess identified by emergency department ultrasound * Presence of a kidney stone * Pregnancy or lactation * Renal dysfunction (defined as creatinine clearance of less than 30 mL/min) * Renal transplantation * Complicated pyelonephritis (defined anatomical or functional abnormality of the urinary tract that predisposes to infection) * Need for additional antimicrobial therapy for a coexisting infection * Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, with either a recent (in the past 6 months) acquired immune deficiency syndrome-defining condition or a cluster of differentiation-4 (CD-4+) T lymphocyte count \<200/mm\^3
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Olive View - UCLA Medical Center
Sylmar, California, 91342, United States
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University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Iowa City, Iowa, 52242, United States
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