The outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy, or OPAT, program serves as a way to safely monitor patients discharged from the hospital on intravenous antibiotics to treat serious infections. The multidisciplinary team, consisting of physicians, pharmacy, and nursing, assists in the transition of care for patients from the hospital to the outpatient setting, providing follow-up, toxicity monitoring, and adjustments in therapy as necessary. Having such a program allows patients to return home and safely complete their intravenous antibiotics therapy while avoiding the inconvenience and expense of prolonged hospitalization.
Patients may receive OPAT in the home, where antibiotics are delivered to the patient and administered at home, or in a skilled nursing facility or an infusion center. OPAT may not be appropriate for everyone, so patients need to be seen by an infectious disease physician prior to referral to the OPAT program. To assure safety, these patients undergo routine lab monitoring and are followed at the infectious disease clinic after discharge from the hospital.
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Contact
Infectious Diseases Clinic:
620 South Taylor Ave., Suite 100
St. Louis, MO 63110
Phone: 314-362-9098
Toll-free: 800-858-3541