Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy in Germany: a prospective cohort study protocol
Christina Samel,
Holger Pfaff,
Peter Ihle,
Nadine Scholten,
Martin Hellmich,
Anna Hagemeier,
Charlotte Leisse,
Vanessa Brandes,
Charlotte Oberröhrmann,
Sophie Peter,
Christoph H. Lindemann,
Clara Lehmann
Affiliations
Christina Samel
Institute of Medical Statistics and Computational Biology (IMSB), Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Holger Pfaff
University of Cologne, Faculty of Human Sciences & Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research, and Rehabilitation Science, Cologne, Germany
Peter Ihle
PMV research group at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy for Children and Young Adults, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Nadine Scholten
University of Cologne, Faculty of Human Sciences & Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research, and Rehabilitation Science, Cologne, Germany
Martin Hellmich
Institute of Medical Statistics and Computational Biology (IMSB), Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Anna Hagemeier
Institute of Medical Statistics and Computational Biology (IMSB), Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Charlotte Leisse
Department I of Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Vanessa Brandes
Department I of Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Charlotte Oberröhrmann
University of Cologne, Faculty of Human Sciences & Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research, and Rehabilitation Science, Cologne, Germany
Sophie Peter
University of Cologne, Faculty of Human Sciences & Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research, and Rehabilitation Science, Cologne, Germany
Christoph H. Lindemann
Department II of Internal Medicine and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Clara Lehmann
Department I of Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Introduction Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) means intravenous administration of antibiotics outside the hospital. The antibiotics are administered at the patient’s home. The advantages are the shortening of the inpatient stay, which means that patients can remain in their familiar environment, the reduction of nosocomial infections as well as the reduction of hospital and therapy costs. Nevertheless, OPAT is rarely performed in Germany, despite its international application. Therefore, systematic data on OPAT are not available in Germany. The project objective is to investigate the medical care using OPAT under medical, epidemiological and economic aspects within the framework of the Cologne Network of Infectious Diseases.Methods and analysis Observational study with mixed-methods approach, qualitative analysis to identify physician-side factors to assess the attitude of general practitioners in Cologne with regard to possible implementation barriers of an OPAT. Longitudinal analysis of an OPAT patient cohort with respect to clinical and patient-relevant outcomes using descriptive and conclusive statistics.Ethics and dissemination The study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Cologne, Germany (19-1284-1). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants. The results will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at one or more scientific conferences.Trial registration number NCT04002453.