AHRQ Innovations Exchange | Electronic Isolation Flags and Weekly Rounds by Infection Control Staff Improve Adherence to Contact Precautions

Electronic Isolation Flags and Weekly Rounds by Infection Control Staff Improve Adherence to Contact Precautions

Summary

Infection control staff at the University of Chicago Medical Center take an active role in ensuring that appropriate patients get placed on contact precautions. To that end, they review daily microbiology laboratory reports and electronically flag the medical record of patients infected with a multidrug resistant organism, indicating the need for private room assignment and a contact isolation sign on the door listing the rules for entrance. Infection control staff also conduct weekly surveillance rounds to ensure that contact precautions are being followed for each flagged patient. If not, they ask nurses to arrange such precautions and provide education to improve future adherence. The program led to a significant, sustained increase in adherence to contact precautions, with the percentage of flagged patients placed in isolation rising from 58 percent to 90 percent.

Evidence Rating

Moderate: The evidence consists of pre- and post-implementation comparisons of the percentage of flagged patients placed on contact precautions.

Summary Infection control staff at the University of Chicago Medical Center take an active role in ensuring that appropriate patients get placed on contact precautions. To that end, they review daily microbiology laboratory reports and electronically flag the medical record of patients infected with a multidrug resistant organism, indicating the need for private room assignment and a contact isolation sign on the door listing the rules for entrance. Infection control staff also conduct weekly surveillance rounds to ensure that contact precautions are being followed for each flagged patient. If not, they ask nurses to arrange such precautions and provide education to improve future adherence. The program led to a significant, sustained increase in adherence to contact precautions, with the percentage of flagged patients placed in isolation rising from 58 percent to 90 percent. Evidence Rating (What is this?) Moderate: The evidence consists of pre- and post-implementation comparisons of the percentage of flagged patients placed on contact precautions.

Developing Organizations

University of Chicago Medical Center

Date First Implemented

2004
August

Patient Population

Vulnerable Populations > Urban populations

full-text:
AHRQ Innovations Exchange Electronic Isolation Flags and Weekly Rounds by Infection Control Staff Improve Adherence to Contact Precautions