Patients Can Safely Self-Administer Long-Term IV Antibiotics

US Pharm. 2016;41(1):18.

Dallas, TX—Researchers at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center say that uninsured patients can be trained to safely self-administer long-term IV antibiotics, which may have significant implications for patient treatment at public hospitals. A 4-year study of patients at one hospital who either self-administered IV antibiotics (n = 944) or had them administered by a healthcare worker (n = 224) revealed similar or better outcomes in the self-administration group. The self-administration program, which was developed by a multidisciplinary team and required several demonstrations of patient proficiency before a patient was allowed to perform the infusion at home, saved 27,666 patient-days at this hospital and resulted in a 47% lower rate of 30-day readmission.