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Protecting workers from MDROs in the workplace

Ambulatory Quality and Compliance Insider, September 1, 2009

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In recent years, multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) have come under increased scrutiny, particularly in the hospital setting. As the number of infections becoming progressively more resistant to antibiotics increases, so does the need to prevent and control these infections in other ways.

Although this conversation is usually heard within the walls of inpatient facilities because of the higher risk of healthcare-associated MDROs such as vancomycin-¬ resistant enterococci (VRE), C. diff, and especially methicillin-¬resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), outpatient facilities such as ambulatory clinics and physician practices face some of the same risks on a daily basis, and they often lack the screening or testing procedures used by inpatient facilities.

Additionally, even though patients in an outpatient facility do not ¬undergo extended ¬periods of care, they may be carriers of MDROs. Studies have shown that MRSA bacteria can survive on dry inanimate objects anywhere from seven days to seven months. VRE can live on a surface for five days to four months, and C. diff spores can live for five months. A patient who goes to the doctor’s office for a follow-up visit after staying at a hospital may unknowingly bring the bacteria into the facility.

This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login.

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