Practice Guidelines for Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy.

The article presents practice guidelines for outpatient parental antomicrobial therapy. These guidelines were formulated to assist physicians and other health care professionals with various aspects of the administration of outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy. A thorough assessment of the patient's general medical condition, the infectious process and the home situation is necessary before starting therapy. The importance of administering the first dose of an antibiotic in a supervised setting is emphasized.