VRE INFORMATION

Risk of Hand or Glove Contamination After Contact With Patients Colonized With Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus or the Colonized Patients’Environment: Mary K. Hayden, MD; Donald W. Blom, BSN; Elizabeth A. Lyle, AB; Charity G. Moore, PhD; Robert A. Weinstein, MD
Recently published data suggests that the inanimate environment serves as a reservoir for VRE transmission in Hospitals.
Excerpt:“HCWs make an average of 7 environmental or patient contacts per episode of care with a higher rate of hand contamination with HCWs that touched both the environment and the patient resulting in a 10% risk of hand contamination for every contact. 21% of the HCWs entering the room had VRE contamination on their hands prior to patient care. HCWs wearing gloves were less likely to contaminate their hands than those who did not wear gloves (37% vs 5%). HCWs performing patient care were as likely to contaminate their hands after touching an environmental surface as they were touching both the patient and the environment (52% vs 70%).”
Preventing the Spread of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE) in Canada: Canada Communicable Disease Report (CCDR)