Intravenous to Oral Switch: Within Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (IVOST) from FutureLearn

Most FutureLearn courses run multiple times. Every run of a course has a set start date but you can join it and work through it after it starts. Find out more Healthcare workers involved in the prescribing and administration of antibiotics. The course is set at final year medical student/1st year doctor/new specialist nurse/junior pharmacist level and should therefore appeal to a wide-range of healthcare professionals. You can use the hashtag #FLivost to talk about this course on social media.

Topics Covered

The principles of Intravenous to Oral Antibiotic Switch Therapy (IVOST) within the Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (OPAT) setting; principles will apply to inpatient care too, but this will not be the focus
How oral and complex oral antibiotics can be used in an Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (OPAT) setting and the evolving entity of Complex (Outpatient) Oral and Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (COPAT) services
The key practice points for OPAT-based prescribers (e.g. route, choice, duration, recording of information)
When IVOST and/or complex oral antibiotic therapy is appropriate, and understand the benefits of early IVOST/complex oral antibiotic therapy and key considerations that determine implementation of both in OPAT settings

Reviews summary

Ivost & opat practical principles

According to learners, this course provides a clear and concise overview of Intravenous to Oral Switch Therapy (IVOST) within Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (OPAT). Students overwhelmingly found the content highly relevant to clinical practice, offering practical insights for healthcare professionals involved in antibiotic management. It is particularly praised as an excellent introductory resource for those new to the field, providing foundational knowledge and boosting confidence. While well-structured and easy to follow, some experienced practitioners noted the course might be too basic if they already possess extensive prior knowledge, suggesting it's designed more for building initial understanding rather than deep dives into niche areas.

Excellent for building foundational knowledge or as a refresher.

"A very good introductory course on IVOST and OPAT. Useful for junior staff."

"As a new specialist nurse, this course provided me with the foundational knowledge I needed."

"For those with limited prior experience in OPAT, this course is very beneficial."

Explanations are easy to follow and the course is well-organized.

"The explanations were clear, and the case studies really helped solidify the concepts."

"The modules were well-structured, and I felt much more confident after completing it."

"The course is well-paced and the material is presented clearly."

Directly relevant to healthcare professionals' daily practice.

"This course was incredibly insightful and directly applicable to my work in outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy."

"Absolutely fantastic for anyone working with antibiotics. The focus on OPAT was exactly what I needed. Very practical and relevant."

"As a medical doctor starting in an infectious diseases rotation, it gave me a strong grasp of IVOST principles."

Some learners wished for more advanced or diverse case studies.

"I would have liked a few more complex patient scenarios to challenge myself further."

"While highly relevant, I wished for more diverse real-world patient scenarios beyond the examples given."

"The course covers the essentials effectively, though I hoped for deeper dives into implementation challenges."

Content may be too fundamental for highly experienced clinicians.

"As an experienced ID pharmacist, some parts were a bit basic for me, but it served as a great refresher."

"I found some areas lacked the depth I was looking for... Good for beginners, but not for advanced practitioners."

"The course felt a bit repetitive in parts, and I felt it could have gone into more detail on specific drug considerations."

Activities

Coming soon We're preparing activities for Intravenous to Oral Switch: Within Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (IVOST). These are activities you can do either before, during, or after a course.

Career center

Learners who complete Intravenous to Oral Switch: Within Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (IVOST) will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers: