Patient Experiences With Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy: Results of a Patient Survey Comparing Skilled Nursing Facilities and Home Infusion

OBJECTIVE: This work compares overall patient satisfaction with outpatient parenteral antibiotic therarpy (OPAT) care across the skilled nursing facility (SNF) and home healthcare company (HHC) settings; identifies barriers to patient satisfaction in OPAT; and develops a model for OPAT patient satisfaction that can help programs improve the patient experience across both sites of care. METHOD: We developed and administered a patient experience survey to 100 patients returning to a single clinic for follow up. The survey consisted of 15 items (Likert scale, multiple choice, and free text responses). Patient characteristics and responses to the survey for patients who received care at home and at SNFs were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: Of the 100 patients surveyed, 98 completed the survey. Overall, HHC patients were satisfied more with their care than patients in SNFs, with a greater proportion stating they would recommend the site to others (71.7% for HHC and 32.7% for SNFs, P < .01). Patients in SNFs had a larger number of complaints about lapses in medical care, infection prevention, and the physical environment than HHC patients. CONCLUSIONS: Patient satisfaction in OPAT is higher for home infusion than SNFs. In order to improve the patient experience, OPAT programs need to engage stakeholders in HHCs and SNFs to improve communication and care delivery.