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Reevaluating practice changes: return to standard precautions after an outbreak of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella
K M Giramonti1, L A Johnson-Robbins, D L Weatherwax
1Division of Neonatology Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Albany, Medical Center, New York, USA.
Abstract:
Change in medical practice is usually made to solve immediate problems. The continued use of these changes should then be reevaluated. Following an outbreak of K. oxytoca in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), glove use for all patient contact was mandated. We evaluated the need for continued glove use after resolution of the outbreak. No change in colonization patterns was seen after returning to standard precautions, and, as a secondary benefit, financial savings resulting from decreased glove use was realized. Following implementation of any practice change, routine reevaluation will help to determine when that change is no longer needed or beneficial.