Course: OPAT: Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy

What things might you consider when devising an OPAT plan? The stewardship principle of the right drug, for the right condition, for the right duration and right route should always …

Intravascular devices are an essential component of any OPAT service but they are not without risk. Complications include phlebitis, thrombosis, localised infection, blood stream related infection and (rarely) embolisation. In …

The antimicrobial choice should be based on the principles contained in the local antimicrobial stewardship programme, taking into account: The antimicrobial spectrum (narrow, specific to the organism & minimal potential …

Both the UK BSAC Good Practice Recommendations and the IDSA OPAT guidance recommend having good clinical governance practices together with outcome monitoring and the ability to manage risk. Please find …

In Week 1 we made reference to the United Kingdom’s BSAC Adult and Paediatric OPAT good practice recommendations. You can review them again here or at the links at the …

In Week 1 of this course we have seen that an OPAT service requires the complementary roles, skills and competencies of it’s core members. A key first step in safe …

Referral to OPAT may be acute where the aim is admission avoidance (e.g cellulitis) or non-acute where the aim is reduction in length of stay (e.g. following surgery for an …

The patient experience should be at the heart of any OPAT service. Watch this video to hear from a patient about their OPAT experience.

So far we have considered the clinical and organisational benefits of OPAT and we have heard from the core members of the OPAT team. We will now look at patient …

Paediatric OPAT shares great similarities with adult OPAT in terms of the principles of safe delivery. However, there are some unique differences. Hear the views from Dr Sanjay Patel. Discuss …

The inclusion of a medically qualified infection specialist within the core OPAT team is to ensure infection management plans, including choice of IV or oral agent(s), criteria for IV to …

The specialist antimicrobial pharmacist (AMP) is a core member of the OPAT team being involved in patient screening and providing pharmaceutical care for those patients who enter the OPAT programme. …

The specialist OPAT nurse is a core member of the OPAT team. The specialist nurse has developed expertise in assessment of appropriateness and suitability for home or clinic administration of …

This introductory OPAT course has been developed by the Co-chairs of the UK British Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) OPAT initiative: Dr Andrew Seaton (an infectious diseases physician based in …

There are a variety of ways in which antimicrobials may be administered via an OPAT service. These include: Self administration (following training and availability of the appropriate drug delivery system) …