Home intravenous antibiotic therapy (HIVAT): indications, patients and antimicrobial agents.

Concern regarding escalating costs of inhospital intravenous (i.v.) antibiotic treatment has stimulated interest in providing i.v. antibiotic therapy in outpatient or home settings (HIVAT). HIVAT should be considered when patients no longer need careful observation and daily nursing care. Successful HIVAT can be accomplished utilizing a team approach emphasizing the respective roles of the physician, pharmacist, nurse and patient. This paper is based on a retrospective review of approximately 1500 patients (19 500 days of HIVAT), treated between 1978 and 1993, in a hospital-based programme. This review addresses which infectious diseases can be treated with HIVAT, with special emphasis on patient and antibiotic selection criteria and the importance of patient monitoring and preliminary data on the outcomes of such therapy.