Building a Foundation for CRE Control in Illinois (Part 2 of a 3-part Series on the August 2015 Vital Signs: Making Health Care Safer: Stop Spread of Antibiotic Resistance)

August 12, 2015 by CDC's Safe Healthcare Blog

The latest CDC Vital Signs includes mathematical modeling that projects increases in drug-resistant infections and Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) without immediate, nationwide improvements in infection control and antibiotic prescribing. During the next five years, with investments, CDC’s effortsto combat C. difficile infections and antibiotic resistance under the National Strategy to Combat Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, in collaboration with other federal partners, will enhance national capabilities for antibiotic stewardship, outbreak surveillance, and antibiotic resistance prevention. The proposedState Antibiotic Resistance Prevention Programs (Protect Programs) would implement this coordinated approach.

While the coordinated approach this Vital Signs report describes is a forward-looking approach, some states are already implementing the response in a variety of different ways. This three-part blog series spotlights the current efforts in Tennessee, Illinois and Wisconsin.

Author: Erica Runningdeer, MSN, MPH, RN, Division of Patient Safety and Quality, Illinois Department of Public Health

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) is an urgent public health problem and some CRE bacteria have become resistant to most available antibiotics. These deadly superbugs have been increasingly detected among patients in Illinois. In response, the state of Illinois is working with the CDC and local partners to build a sustainable infrastructure for infection prevention activities across the healthcare spectrum. This work will help stop the spread of antibiotic-resistant germs like CRE.

The Illinois Department of Public Health is leading the statewide CRE Detect and Protect Campaign to help hospitals, long-term care facilities, and laboratories adopt the CDC strategy of detecting CRE and protecting patients through appropriate infection control and prevention measures. A statewide CRE Task Force comprised of laboratory, infectious disease, and infection prevention experts is helping guide these efforts.

The Department has provided educational materials, trainings, and technical support on CRE control and use of the Extensively Drug-Resistant Organism (XDRO) registry. The Registry is a tool for sharing patient information across facilities and reporting CRE isolates. The Department began requiring healthcare facilities and laboratories to report CRE to the Registry in November 2013. Through July 31, 2015, 161 facilities had submitted 2,940 reports, and 136 facilities had queried the CRE status of patients 3,112 times.

Campaign participants also have the opportunity to learn from other healthcare facilities, laboratories, and CRE experts committed to this issue. Additionally, the Department’s antimicrobial stewardship initiatives have been incorporated into the Campaign so that facilities can adopt stewardship activities as part of their CRE prevention efforts.

The Campaign has begun to increase statewide capacity for CRE detection, surveillance, and prevention. We have already seen how this collaborative model to prevent the spread of antibiotic-resistant infections can result in better outcomes for patients and reduced healthcare costs.

Check back tomorrow for part 3 of the blog series from the state of Wisconsin related to the August 2015 Vital Signs: Making Health Care Safer: Stop Spread of Antibiotic Resistance.

August 12, 2015 by CDC's Safe Healthcare Blog