Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) good practice prescribing guide: overview
This guide shares practical experience of the use of antimicrobials in an OPAT setting. We took an evidence based approach to create the guidance. We also used expert consensus and practical experience from across NHS Scotland.
The drug summaries do not provide specific treatment guidelines. Individual patient treatment should take into account the core principles of antimicrobial stewardship. This includes selection of the appropriate antimicrobial for the shortest duration with oral therapy being preferred, whenever possible. Please also refer to the British National Formulary (BNF) or Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC).These have more information on licensed use, drug interactions and use in pregnancy and breast feeding. When using unlicensed medicines, doses or indications, follow local health board governance processes.
It is strongly recommended that OPAT services in Scotland adhere to the Key performance indicators for the management of patients in an outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) setting.
This resource has been created by the Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group (SAPG) Outpatient Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) subgroup and The Association of Scottish Antimicrobial Pharmacists (ASAP) to support prescribing in an OPAT setting in NHS Scotland.
Content updated : May 2023