Outpatient parenteral antibiotic treatment (OPAT) allows patients who are medically stable to safely receive their intravenous (IV) medication at home if they have been assessed as suitable.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it became harder for OPAT patients and their families to have in-person discussions with the hospital OPAT team due to face masks and visitor restrictions. There was no national online resource for OPAT patients available to learn about the program. Responding to this need, OPAT Clinical Nurse Specialists Fiona Guidera and Liz Forde , used funding (HSE SPARK Innovation) to create an online resource. They partnered with the Creative Digital Media course at Cork College of Further Education. Dr Arthur Jackson, Infectious Disease Consultant & Clinical Lead for the OPAT Service CUH and MUH worked with the team to develop the resources.
The class of 2021/22 Creative Digital Media took on this extracurricular project during the year and after their end of year exams. Together we produced an online patient resource. Four videos provide information about OPAT for patients, families, and carers:
- OPAT-Your Path Home – A short animation
- OPAT – Before You Go Home – Video
- OPAT -When You Go Home – Video
- OPAT – Role of Infectious Disease Consultant – Video
You can view the videos here: https://www.cuh.hse.ie/our-services/our-specialities-a-z/opat/
