Reduction of Nosocomial Vancomycin -Resistant Enterococci (VRE) Colonization and Infection by Active Surveillance and Intervention of Infection Control

Vancomycin -resistant enterococci(VRE) has emerged as one of the most common nosocomial pathogen of health-care associated infection since 1988. Although the new antimicrobial agents such as Tigecycline , Daptomycin, Linezolid have clinically effectiveness for the treatment of VRE, but there was not appropriate drugs for eradicating the colonization of VRE. So the active surveillance and strict contact precaution are the best methods for VRE colonization and transmission.

This is a one year study program, we select a unit as the study site. First month (January) is the prepare period. Therefore , we collect 3 months (from February to April) baseline data, then interrupted one month(May) for the health care worker's infection control education.

Then the intervention period are three months (from June to August), and the last four months(from September to December) are the analysis and evaluation period. In the baseline period, we only do the patient's active surveillance and environmental culture. In the intervention period, beside the patient's active surveillance and environmental culture, we add contact precaution as the infection control method. If patient has VRE infection, we prescribe appropriate antibiotic therapy until the culture result proved no growth of VRE.

The aim of this study is to compare and analyze these two period (baseline period and intervention period) for understanding the transmission, risk factors and carriage rate of VRE, as the important guidelines for the VRE infection control in the future.