Notify Infection Control Nurse promptly when vancomycin-resistant enterococcus are detected.
Inform clinical staff of the hospital’s policies regarding VRE-infected or colonized patients.
Clinical staffs are essential to limiting the spread of VRE in patient-care areas; thus, continuing education regarding the appropriate response to the detection of VRE is critical
Infection Control Team will monitor appropriate process and outcome measures (e.g., cumulative incidence or incidence density of VRE colonization, rate of compliance with VRE isolation precautions and hand washing, interval between VRE identification in the laboratory and implementation of isolation precautions on the wards, and the percentage of previously colonized patients admitted to the ward who are identified promptly and placed on isolation precautions).
Place VRE-infected or colonized patients in isolation rooms or in the same room as other patients who have VRE.
Wear appropriate PPE when entering the room of a VRE-infected or colonized patient.
Remove gloves and gown before leaving the patient’s room and immediately wash hands with an antiseptic soap or a waterless antiseptic agent.
Dedicate the use of non-critical items (e.g., a stethoscope, sphygmomanometer, or rectal thermometer) to a single patient or cohort of patients infected or colonized with VRE. If such devices are to be used on other patients, adequately clean and disinfect these devices first.
Obtain a stool culture or rectal swab from roommates of patients newly found to be infected or colonized with VRE to determine their colonization status, and apply isolation precautions as necessary.
Perform additional screening of patients on the ward at the discretion of the infection-control staff.
Refer Isolation Policy of for deciding when patients infected or colonized with VRE can be removed from isolation precautions. (Refer infection control team)
Because patients with VRE can remain colonized for long periods after discharge from the hospital, establish a system for highlighting the records of infected or colonized patients so they can be promptly identified and placed on isolation precautions upon readmission to the hospital.
Inform the other healthcare facility at the time of transfer or discharge of VRE infected patient.
