Objective: To evaluate the impact of outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) on a public hospital in a middle-income country.
Design: A retrospective, observational study analyzing the economic data retrieved on the dehospitalization of patients on antibiotic therapy.
Setting: Public university trauma hospital.
Patients: Data were collected from June 2017 to May 2020. Antibiotic cost, hospital length of stay, and risk of multidrug-resistant (MDR) infection or colonization were reviewed, along with the break-even point at which a balance occurs between OPAT antimicrobial costs and all in-hospital costs. A cumulative risk curve was constructed showing the incidence of MDR during the review period.
Results: In total, 225 patients were studied. The implementation of OPAT resulted in a reduction of $156,681 (49.6%), which is equivalent to an average of $696 per patient, as well as a shortened length of stay, from 33.5 to 15.7 days. OPAT reduces the risk of acquiring infection by MDR bacteria by having the final treatments administered outside of the hospital environment. The breakeven curves, comparing the duration of the OPAT to daily medication costs, allowed for the prediction of the time and dollar costs of antibiotic therapy.
Conclusions: OPAT presented a significant cost savings, shortened length of stay, and reduced risk of contamination of patients by MDR.