Authors (including presenting author) :
Chow SM (1), Fok WY (1), Leung LM (2), Chau KY (1)
Affiliation :
(1) Infection Control Team, Haven of Hope Hospital
(2) Nursing Services Division, Haven of Hope Hospital
Introduction :
There was a Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) outbreak in Haven of Hope Hospital (HHH) in October 2021. Contact tracing performed according to the prevailing guideline upon the detection of VRE from a urine specimen yielded 10 positive cases. With a timely and strict implementation of infection control measures, the outbreak was successfully be controlled in three weeks. The treasurable experience for VRE outbreak control triggered a further review and improvement on nursing practice to reduce future risk.
Objectives :
A workgroup with nurses from clinical units, ICT and Nursing Services Division was set up aimed at:
1. Appreciating nurses to sustain good practices to prevent cross contamination
2. Discussing and identifying nursing practices that can be further improved to minimize cross contamination risk
Methodology :
Workgroup members visited to ward for on-site environmental inspection and nursing practice observation. Some good nursing practice were identified and showed appreciation to ward staff. On the other hand, several nursing practices were spotted for improvement.
1. Nasogastric tube feeding
Single use feeding syringe for gastric aspiration and medication administration is adopted to minimize the risk of cross contamination during cleansing.
2. Patient personal hygiene
Liaising with ward manager (WM), the frequency of bathing for VRE patients was stepped up. A thorough disinfection of shower trolley after bathing was reinforced to avoid cross contamination.
3. Patient Environmental hygiene
Routine cleansing to ward environment was reviewed and strengthened to patient area. Patients’ documents were not allowed to be placed at bedside. Instead, a designated area outside the cubicle was identified for documents placement.
Result & Outcome :
A total 128 environmental sampling for the ward was taken and there was no VRE species isolated among environmental sampling after adopting infection control measures.
Although VRE outbreak is a painful experience at hospital, it is also an opportunity to review our current practice and enhance infection control measures so as to provide a good quality care for our patients and protect our patients from contamination.
