Safety and efficacy of a 5-minute infusion versus the standard 30-minute infusion for antibiotics in an outpatient setting

Abstract

The National University Hospital Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (OPAT) centre was established in 2004 and now provides for over 350 patients yearly. OPAT refers to the administration of intravenous (IV) antibiotics for the management of infections in the outpatient setting without requiring hospital admission, or as a transition following hospitalization. It is a cost-effective and safe alternative to inpatient care. Depending on the pharmacokinetic profile, antibiotics are generally administered either via 24-hour infusion devices or once-daily infusions (Fisher et al., 2017).