OPAT Strategy 2022-2025

Dedicated to delivering high quality patient care closer to home through peer-reviewed best practice, optimal use of antimicrobial agents and devices and the measurement of specific patient outcomes

 

  1. Establish a modern working definition of OPAT
  • Work with peer organisations and health administrations towards a common definition of OPAT that accurately reflects changing practice including advances in antimicrobial chemotherapy, including the use of supervised complex oral antimicrobial regimens in the non-inpatient setting to reduce length of hospital stay.

 

  1. Secure the establishment and expansion of OPAT services wherever the clinical need exists
  • Work with health administrations to promote the clinical need for and benefits of OPAT service development and delivery
  • Demonstrate the patient, economic and service benefits of OPAT through syndromic data collection and publication of results
  • Work collaboratively with colleagues internationally to promote OPAT, share experience, expertise, and excellence of practice
  • Embed and promote OPAT as a key component of antimicrobial stewardship

 

  1. Establish OPAT-Accredit, a global accreditation scheme for OPAT services
  • Development of OPAT Accredit website (subsuming all resources offered within current e-OPAT site)
  • Adaptation of existing good practice recommendations into online protocols for service assessment and key performance indicators
  • Securement of internal governance group and accreditation assessment group
  • Launch, promote and secure centres
  • Establish UK-wide adoption of OPAT-Accredit via country-specific administrations (e.g., DOH, HIS)

 

  1. Promote and embed OPAT as a core component of antimicrobial stewardship through the provision of a continuous programme of education and training
  • E-learning
  • Workshops
  • Conferences and webinar events

 

  1. Secure a global consensus on drug stability testing, working with licencing and standard setting authorities to amend current standards as and where applicable, and secure an expansion in the number of agents tested
  • Collaborative working to develop and consult on new standards for drug stability testing
  • Advocate with licencing and standard setting authorities for change, and for drug stability testing to be a requirement of licencing of new agents or mandating it is undertaken, where appropriate, as part of post approval confirmatory studies
  • Promotion of new standards
  • Secure funds to support expansion of the antimicrobial portfolio within drug stability testing programme
  • Peer review publication and promotion of outputs