Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40844698›Full record

GuidelineInfection2025

Practice guidelines for outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) in Germany.

Lukas Tometten, Ulrike Trost, Linda Jürgens, Stephan Achterberg, Lukas Arenz, Franz Audebert, Markus Bickel, Sebastian Dolff, Rika Draenert, Silke Ewering and 18 more

Abstract readPractice Guideline
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Guideline in Infection, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

28 authors.

Lukas TomettenDepartment I of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases , Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne , Kerpener Str. 62, 50937, Cologne, Germany.
Ulrike TrostDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Respiratory Medicine and Critical Care, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Linda JürgensDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Respiratory Medicine and Critical Care, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Stephan AchterbergDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Vivantes Klinikum, Berlin, Germany.
Lukas ArenzAntibiotic Stewardship Programme, LMU Klinikum, Munich, Germany.
Franz AudebertPraxiszentrum Alte Mälzerei, Regensburg, Germany.
Markus BickelInfektiologikum Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany.
Sebastian DolffDepartment of Infectious Diseases, West German Centre of Infectious Diseases, Essen University Hospital, Essen, Germany.
Rika DraenertAntibiotic Stewardship Programme, LMU Klinikum, Munich, Germany.
Silke EweringDepartment for Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
Julia FischerDepartment I of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases , Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne , Kerpener Str. 62, 50937, Cologne, Germany.
Anette FriedrichsDepartment for Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
Stefan HagelInstitute for Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
Annette HennigsSection Infectious Diseases, I. Medical Department, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Dagmar HornAntibiotic Stewardship Team, Institute of Hygiene, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.
Caroline IsnerDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Vivantes Klinikum, Berlin, Germany.
Elham KhatamzasDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Center for Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Christian LanckohrAntibiotic Stewardship Team, Institute of Hygiene, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.
Henriette LangPraxiszentrum Alte Mälzerei, Regensburg, Germany.
Hanna MatthewsOutpatient Center for Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Beate Sigrid MüllerFaculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of General Practice, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Jennifer NeubertKIJU Praxis Neuss, Praxis für Kinder- und Jugendmedizin, Neuss, Germany.
Stefan SchmiedelSection Infectious Diseases, I. Medical Department, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Arne SimonPaediatric Haematology and Oncology, Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes, Homburg, Germany.
Phil-Robin TepasseDepartment of Internal Medicine B for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology and Clinical Infectiology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.
Frederike WaldeckInfectious Disease Clinic, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany.
Clara Lehmann *Department I of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases , Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne , Kerpener Str. 62, 50937, Cologne, Germany. clara.lehmann@uk-koeln.de.
Miriam Stegemann *Department of Infectious Diseases, Respiratory Medicine and Critical Care, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe practice guideline for outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) aims to encourage broader adoption of OPAT into routine clinical practice in Germany.

methodsThe guideline was developed according to the guideline development framework by the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies (AWMF) in Germany. Literature search was conducted, and expert recommendations were formulated through consensus and published as an AWMF S1 guideline (expert group recommendations with consensus development in an informal process).

resultsOPAT is a safe and effective alternative to inpatient care for managing selected infectious diseases (ID) entities, which require intravenous antimicrobial therapy (AMT). ID specialists play a critical role in determining the indications for OPAT, the selection of suitable patients and the development of treatment plans. Specialist-led OPAT programs have been shown to enhance treatment efficacy, reduce hospital readmissions, and decrease healthcare costs. A structured, checklist-based approach is used to evaluate infection severity, available therapeutic options, patient comorbidities, and home care conditions. Adherence to antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) principles as well as regular clinical and laboratory monitoring are essential to ensure appropriate antimicrobial use and minimize adverse events, catheter-related complications and the risk of resistance. The selection of adequate vascular access is based on patient-specific factors, characteristics of the indicated antimicrobial and treatment duration, optimizing both safety and patient comfort.

conclusionOPAT is a safe, cost-effective alternative to inpatient care, requiring specialists’ ID expertise and AMS. The guideline provides a framework for successful implementation in Germany.

Indexed as

Ambulatory CareAnti-Bacterial AgentsAnti-Infective AgentsGermanyHumansOutpatientsPractice Guidelines as TopicAnti-Bacterial AgentsAnti-Infective AgentsAntimicrobial stewardship (AMS)Antimicrobial treatment (AMT)GuidelineInfectious diseases (ID)Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT)

Identifiers

PMID40844698
PMCPMC12675535

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.