A free HSE Mid West service where patients on IV antibiotics are discharged early from hospital and treated at home or in the community has improved patient experience and freed up acute beds for other patients.
Along with the significant annual saving of more than 3,200 bed-days through admission avoidance or reduced length of stay, the region’s Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) service also ensures that patients can safely return home with minimal disruption to their lives.
OPAT, established in the Mid West in 2017, operates 365 days a year and aims to ensure that no patient who is receiving IV antimicrobials and is otherwise fit for discharge remains an inpatient in the hospital due to antimicrobial treatment.
Since 2017 to the end of 2024, a total of 1,049 patients have been discharged to the Mid West OPAT service, saving approximately 24,000 bed-days.
Maria Molyneaux, candidate Advanced Nurse Practitioner (cANP), OPAT, said, “The aim is to review all patients within 24 hours of referral and discharge patients who fit the national OPAT discharge criteria within 48 to 72 hours of review.”
“Nationally, patient satisfaction with the service is very high, with 98% of patients agreeing they would use the service again, 92% rating it as excellent and 96% agreeing that the experience was preferable to hospital treatment.”
