Experiences in outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT): Barriers and challenges from the front lines.

Background: Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) is now the standard of care for managing patients who no longer need inpatient care but require prolonged intravenous antimicrobial therapy. OPAT increases patient satisfaction, reduces the lengths of hospital stay, lowers emergency department readmission rates, and decreases total healthcare spending.

Objective: To investigate Virginia Commonwealth University Health System's experience with OPAT and to highlight the obstacles patients and clinicians face when navigating and utilizing this program.