Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) good practice prescribing guide

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.

For ease of reference all the good practice prescribing guides have the same layout:

  • Indication and dose   
  • Route and method of administration  
  • Dose adjustments and monitoring     
  • Contraindications, cautions and adverse effects​

Information on prescribing in an OPAT setting is available to download for the following antibiotics. More drugs will be available soon.

Ceftriaxone (Feb 2023)

Dalbavancin (Feb 2023)

Daptomycin (Feb 2023)

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 feedingWhen using unlicensed medicines, doses or indications, follow local health board governance processes.

To find out more about the work of SAPG OPAT group please see our website 

 

Content updated : May 2023