CDC - clinician information about CRE - HAI

Clinicians

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) Infection

Steps Clinicians Should Take:

Know if patients with CRE are hospitalized at your facility, and stay aware of CRE infection rates. Ask if a patient has received medical care somewhere else, including another country.
Place patients currently or previously colonized or infected with CRE on Contact Precautions. Whenever possible, dedicate rooms, equipment, and staff to CRE patients.
Wear a gown and gloves when caring for patients with CRE.
Perform hand hygiene – use alcohol-based hand rub or wash hand with soap and water before and after contact with patient or their environment.
Alert the receiving facility when you transfer a CRE patient, and find out when a patient with CRE transfers into your facility.
Make sure labs immediately alert clinical and infection prevention staff when CRE are identified.
Prescribe and use antibiotics wisely.
Discontinue devices like urinary catheters as soon as no longer necessary.

Guidelines and Recommendation

Clinicians play a critical role in slowing the spread of CRE. Rapidly identifying patients colonized or infected with these organisms and placing them in Contact Precautions when appropriate, using antibiotics wisely, and minimizing device use are all important parts of preventing CRE transmission.