Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT)

What is OPAT?

Some infections need treatment with long courses of intravenous antibiotics or complex oral antimicrobial therapy. OPAT can help patients to get the treatment they need without having to stay in hospital. For suitable patients it can prevent admission to hospital or support early discharge. It can be provided in different setting for example in an outpatient clinic or in a person's own home.

Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group (SAPG) OPAT guidance

The Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing OPAT Group are working to support the safe and effective delivery of OPAT across Scotland.

SAPG has developed KPIs for the management of patients in an OPAT setting to support optimum care for patients in Scotland accessing OPAT services. The KPIs are based on the 2019 British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy OPAT Good Practice Recommendations.

OPAT Clinical Pathways

Pathways have been developed for managing the following infections

Good practise guide to the use of antimicrobials in OPAT

Useful Links

Scottish Health Technology Group (SHTG) Recommendation
British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) Good Practice Recommendations
British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) 2022-2025 Strategy
Scottish Government "Delivering the right care in the right setting"

Articles

  • Interview with Dr Andrew Seaton and a patient discussing their experience in receiving OPAT by Scottish Television. See full interview here view with Dr Andrew Seaton for the The Herald newspaper.  Read the full article here
  • See the OPAT August 2022 update on progress and developments in OPAT from the SAPG OPAT group and Scottish Government OPAT clinical network. This includes data on national clinical activity.

     

Content updated Sept 2024

clinicians with patient