Paediatric outpatient antimicrobial therapy and antimicrobial stewardship: literature review and implications for children’s nurses

Paediatric outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (pOPAT) involves the administration of intravenous antibiotics to treat common infections in children outside the hospital setting, usually in the patient's home. Most children who receive pOPAT initially present to hospital and start by receiving antibiotic treatment in the inpatient setting. As pOPAT service provision increases, healthcare organisations need to turn their attention to antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) in the outpatient setting, while children's nurses working in the community need to understand AMS interventions and develop confidence in questioning prescribing decisions. In this article, the author reviews the literature examining the relationship between pOPAT and AMS, with a focus on the implications for children's nursing practice. The author highlights the lack of research on the role of children's nurses in pOPAT and AMS, and the importance of promoting their involvement in these aspects of service provision to improve patient outcomes and reduce the effects of antimicrobial resistance.