OPAT for older adults
Abstract:
Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) for older adults is a complex process that involves multiple stakeholders and care coordination, but it is a useful and patient-centered tool with opportunities for the treatment of complicated infections, improved patient satisfaction, and reduced health-care costs. Older age should not be an exclusion for OPAT but rather prompt the OPAT provider to thoroughly evaluate candidacy and safety. Amid the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, innovations in OPAT are needed to shepherd OPAT care into a more patient-centered, thoughtful practice, whereas minimizing harm to older patients from unnecessary health-care exposure and thus health-care associated infections.
Reference:
Oliver NT, Skalweit MJ. Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy in Older Adults. Clin Geriatr Med. 2026 Aug;42(3):529-543. doi: 10.1016/j.cger.2025.09.011. PMID: 42547176.