To Discharge or Not to Discharge on Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy: That Is the Question

Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) has gained traction since the 1970s as a means of delivering intravenous (IV) antibiotic therapy in home or ambulatory settings. OPAT is relatively safe and more cost-effective than hospital administration of IV antibiotics.1–4 Yet the initiation of OPAT requires thoughtful consideration of individual patient and caregiver factors. Additionally, administration of OPAT requires careful coordination of multiple health care resources to ensure safe administration, monitoring, and follow-up during the course of therapy. Thus, prescribing OPAT requires clinicians to be adept at identifying appropriate OPAT candidates and efficiently …