ABSTRACT
Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) offers a number of opportunities to improve patient care, avoid the development of antimicrobial resistance, and save health care dollars. This chapter explores some of the aspects of OPAT from a pharmacy perspective. The first infections reported to be treated with OPAT were recurrent chest infections in children with cystic fibrosis. Selection of patients for OPAT involves many variables not usually considered with hospital care. The first consideration should be whether the patient is able to self-administer therapy. Unlike in an inpatient setting, an evaluation of the patient’s home environment is important for positive OPAT outcomes. A home visit is helpful but usually not necessary. Many antimicrobial agents can be safely administered using a gravity drip system. The rate of flow in a simple gravity drip system is controlled primarily by a special clamp or valve on the line that can be adjusted to permit the prescribed amount of fluid to flow through.
