title: Discharge planning for the patient requiring home intravenous antimicrobial therapy.
abstract: Home intravenous (IV) antimicrobial therapy is a well accepted and widely practiced form of home infusion therapy. Orthopaedic-related infections, often requiring long courses of therapy, are commonly treated in the home setting after a brief hospitalization. Hospital orthopaedic nurses play an important role in preparing patients for home care. This article addresses patient selection for home IV therapy, the discharge planning process, and educational preparation of the patient. The role of the home care nurse is briefly presented to enhance the orthopaedic nurse's knowledge of the continuum of care.
authors.affiliation: Covenant Home Health Care, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Gorski
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018718:Home Infusion Therapy / Q000451:nursing*; D006801:Humans; D016530:Orthopedic Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D010351:Patient Discharge; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D018579:Patient Selection
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents