OPAT at Home: Safer and Increasingly Common

Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy, or OPAT, allows patients to complete a course of intravenous antibiotics at home or in an infusion center rather than remaining hospitalized.

The benefits are substantial. OPAT shortens hospital length of stay, lowers costs, and reduces exposure to hospital-acquired infections, all while letting patients recover in familiar surroundings.

It is not without responsibility. Safe OPAT requires reliable vascular access, laboratory monitoring for drug toxicity and efficacy, and clear plans for line care and complications. Oversight by infectious disease clinicians and pharmacists improves safety and outcomes.

As published OPAT guidelines and care models mature, more patients are candidates than ever. Done well, it is a model of high-value, patient-centered infectious disease care.