A new study looks at the benefits of oral over intravenous (IV) antibiotics for complex outpatients at two Fraser Health hospitals.
(Photo L to R): Royal Columbian Hospital/Eagle Ridge Hospital Infectious disease group: Dr. Sangita Malhotra, Dr. Stephan Saad, Dr. Davie Wong, Dr. Yasemin Arikan, Dr. Emilie Stevens
There’s no question antibiotics have revolutionized health care and have saved countless lives. As health systems evolve, so too has the ability to provide patients with intravenous (IV) antibiotics from the comfort of home.
Now, oral antibiotics are an option for many outpatients. Dr. Davie Wong, infectious disease specialist at Royal Columbian Hospital, believes that’s a good thing.
“In most cases, oral treatment is as effective and even safer than IV treatment,” says Dr. Wong. “There are fewer complications mostly related to the presence of an intravenous catheter such as infections and blood clots, and it doesn’t require the home health setup that we need for outpatient home IV treatment.”
Dr. Wong is a co-investigator on a retrospective study that evaluated the efficacy, safety and cost savings of novel complex outpatient oral antimicrobial therapy programs (CopAt) at Eagle Ridge Hospital and Royal Columbian Hospital between August 2023 and June 2024.
“We found that 90 per cent of patients had successful clinical outcomes on oral antibiotics,” says Dr. Wong. “This study shows that that we can effectively treat patients, help reduce hospital congestion and realize savings of approximately $2,500 per patient using oral antibiotics, rather than IV antibiotics.”
Dr. Wong believes most patients who are prescribed home IV therapy could be successful on oral antibiotics, though some people who have swallowing, gastrointestinal and psychosocial issues might not be able to take pills.
You can read the full study here: Implementation and evaluation of a complex outpatient oral antimicrobial therapy program (COpAT) in Canada - PMC
