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General number
057 35 35 35
Visting hours
3 p.m.-7.30 p.m.
General number
057 35 35 35
Visting hours
3 p.m.-7.30 p.m.
Some infections require long-term treatment to fight the bacteria. This treatment can sometimes be continued safely at home once it has been started up at the hospital. This will enable you to resume your daily activities more quickly, in your familiar surroundings.
OPAT stands for Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy.
Sometimes intravenous antibiotics are more effective than oral antibiotics, or no oral alternative is available.
The main goal of OPAT is to complete the treatment safely and effectively in the comfort of your own home. This allows you to quickly resume your daily activities.
You must give your prior consent as a patient or guardian (consent form).
OPAT treatment is part of “remote care”: you can recover at home and do not need to stay unnecessarily long in the hospital.
Your health is closely monitored using smart technology, while you recover in your own familiar environment.
The antibiotics are available through the hospital pharmacy.
Part of the materials is provided by the home nurse (syringes, needles, etc.). The rest is supplied by the hospital.
One week after your admission, you will have a consultation with the infectious disease specialist. After that, a consultation takes place every two weeks.
During each consultation, new materials are provided for a maximum of two weeks. In case of early discontinuation, the hospital will not take back the materials.
The antibiotics are administered by a home nurse via a catheter.
There are different types of catheters:
The type of catheter you receive depends on several factors, such as the quality of the veins and the expected duration of the antibiotic treatment.
OPAT is a safe way to continue your treatment at home.
The first doses are given in the hospital so that doctors and nurses can monitor how your body reacts to the medication. Any medication can cause an allergic reaction.
If you experience skin rash, swelling of the face, or breathing difficulties at home, immediately notify your general practitioner or home nurse.
The duration of the treatment depends on the nature of the infection. You can ask your doctor for more information about this.
Most antibiotics are partially or fully reimbursed by the RIZIV (NIHDI). For this, the advising physician of your health insurance fund must first give approval.
You pay a contribution for the other medical materials.
You may also be entitled to additional reimbursement through your hospitalization insurance. Our social service will visit you during your admission to discuss this.
Dr. Wim Terryn gave an interview about OPAT in Y-Mail, the hospital magazine of Jan Yperman Hospital. Consult the article here.
