The Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (AMS) committee has released a new regional order set: IV Antimicrobial Therapy for Outpatients and Home IV.
This new order set is intended to be used by ambulatory and/or emergency departments. It contains information for guiding appropriate antibiotic selection, as well as information on appropriate patients and infections to treat in this setting. You will also find some tips for considering IV to PO conversion in your patients (see also the IV to PO Conversion of Antimicrobials clinical practice standard).
Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) allows for enhanced patient quality of life, reallocation of resources for higher acuity patients, and prevention of nosocomial infections compared to inpatient therapy. However, in order for this practice to be as safe and effective as inpatient care, standardization of practice and alignment to published standards, such as using an evidence based/standardized order set, is required.