Objectives: This study sought to analyze the outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy
(OPAT) services provided by a tertiary hospital, in terms of types and duration of
antimicrobials administered, and assess whether these services were in line with current
good practice recommendations. Methods: The electronic healthcare records of all stable
patients with infectious diseases, aged ≥ 18 years, who received OPAT services between
January 2019 and March 2021, were analyzed. For statistical analysis, the patients were
divided into younger (< 65 years) and older (≥ 65 years) adults and the difference
between them, in terms of healthcare resources utilization, was assessed. Results: Over
27 months, 199 patients received OPAT services, resulting in saving of 7514 bed-days.
Bone and joint infections (38.7%) were the predominant diagnoses. The median actual
OPAT duration was significantly greater than the planned duration for the total study
population, younger adults, and older adults (p < 0.050). Of 28 (14.1%) patients with
adverse events, 25 were related to antimicrobials while the remaining three were associated
with catheters. There were no significant differences between younger and older adults
in the characteristics evaluated, except for the higher incidence of Staphylococcus aureus
(p < 0.001) and Escherichia coli, Staphylococcal spp., Streptococcal spp., and Pseudomonas
spp. (p = 0.003) infection in older adults. Conclusions: The actual median duration of
OPAT therapy was significantly longer than planned, with suboptimal adherence to
the principles of antimicrobial stewardship. OPAT has been shown to be safe for both
younger and older adults.