Multidrug-resistant organisms are a significant threat to hospitals and other healthcare organizations, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine.
"Reliable adherence to basic infection control practices is the key to interrupting transmission in our hospitals," the authors wrote. They suggest six strategies healthcare facilities can use to prevent MDRO outbreaks.
1. Follow hand hygiene guidelines.
2. Thoroughly clean and disinfect the environment.
3. Adhere to best practices for invasive devices, such as central venous catheters.
4. Embed major tenets of antimicrobial stewardship into routine frontline work to reduce antibiotic use.
5. Use screening media to quickly identify patients colonized with MDROs.
6. Create a "cordon sanitaire," or quarantine line, to identify and isolate patients transferred from other hospitals or chronic care facilities, especially when they are transferred from facilities known to have problems with specific MDROs.
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"Reliable adherence to basic infection control practices is the key to interrupting transmission in our hospitals," the authors wrote. They suggest six strategies healthcare facilities can use to prevent MDRO outbreaks.
1. Follow hand hygiene guidelines.
2. Thoroughly clean and disinfect the environment.
3. Adhere to best practices for invasive devices, such as central venous catheters.
4. Embed major tenets of antimicrobial stewardship into routine frontline work to reduce antibiotic use.
5. Use screening media to quickly identify patients colonized with MDROs.
6. Create a "cordon sanitaire," or quarantine line, to identify and isolate patients transferred from other hospitals or chronic care facilities, especially when they are transferred from facilities known to have problems with specific MDROs.
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