Updated UK good practice recommendations for outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT): ensuring quality of care and antimicrobial stewardship in an evolving healthcare landscape.

Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) offers safe, effective and patient-centred care for patients with infections requiring IV or complex oral antimicrobial therapy. The UK OPAT Good Practice Recommendations (GPRs) have recently been updated through a systematic literature review, expert consensus and consultation. In this article we outline the key changes in the updated GPRs. There are five new recommendations on (i) self-administration, (ii) OPAT in hard-to-reach groups, (iii) patient education, (iv) developing monitoring protocols for patients on complex oral antimicrobials and on new parenteral administration routes and regimes, and (v) equitable provision of care; and two amended recommendations, on (i) thromboprophylaxis, and (ii) early collaboration with vascular access teams. Overall, the literature demonstrates the increasing confidence of OPAT services in managing complex and comorbid patients, and shows evidence of innovation and collaboration. OPAT has the potential to improve clinical care and antimicrobial stewardship in patients with complex infections in an evolving healthcare landscape.