Abstract
Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) began in the 1970s in the United States. It is estimated that 1 in 1000 Americans receives OPAT each year. OPAT should only be considered in select patients. There are minimal data on using OPAT in patients with substance abuse. A patient's home setting should be assessed before discharge. Consider obtaining written consent from the patient or caregiver before discharging on OPAT. Communication is a key component for an OPAT team. Only certain antimicrobials are candidates for continuous infusion at home. Tracking outcomes with OPAT is important to validate safety and efficacy of care provided.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | e45-e56 |
| Journal | Hospital Medicine Clinics |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 2013 |
Keywords
- Adverse events
- Antibiotics
- Endocarditis
- Osteomyelitis
- Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine