Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy in a changing NHS: challenges and opportunities.

Up to 4% of inpatients are in hospital solely to receive intravenous antimicrobial therapy. Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) offers the opportunity for improved efficiency and patient choice through early discharge from hospital or admission avoidance, while maintaining quality of care. OPAT aligns well with key priorities in the new NHS and in this article I explore how new developments in the national healthcare context might be exploited to promote the ongoing evolution of OPAT in the UK.