Safety of Nurse- and Self-Administered Paediatric Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy

Abstract

This study aimed to compare and contrast the safety and efficacy of nurse- and self-administered paediatric outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) models of care and to identify clinical factors associated with documented adverse events (AEs). A total of 100 OPAT episodes among children aged between 1 month and 18 years who were discharged from hospital and who received continuous 24 h intravenous antimicrobial therapy at home via an elastomeric infusion device were included. All documented AEs from the case notes were reviewed by a paediatrician and classified as either major or minor. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine associations between clinical factors and any AE. A total of 86 patients received 100 treatment OPAT episodes (49 self-administered, 51 nurse administered). The most commonly prescribed antimicrobial via continuous infusion was ceftazidime (25 episodes). Overall, an AE was recorded for 27 (27%) OPAT episodes. Major AEs was recorded for 15 episodes and minor AEs were reported in 14 episodes. The odds of an AE was increased in episodes with self-administration (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 6.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.44–27.15) and where the duration of vascular access was >14 days (aOR 1.08, 95%CI 1.01–1.15). Our findings suggest minor AEs may be more frequently reported when intravenous antimicrobials are self-administered via 24 h continuous infusions.

Home–hospital care for children with acute illnesses: A 2‐year follow‐up study

“…The rate of hospital readmissions was 5.6%, which is similar to previously published studies that have shown rates varying between 3% and 13%. 5,[9][10][11]24 Here, it must be noted that the papers reviewed for the present study focus on a single therapeutic procedure; in contrast, we analyse the overall rate of readmission without taking into account the type of disease or the procedure performed. The fact that 42% of the patients returned to HAH indicates a high degree of satisfaction with this model of care in our sample.…”