Management of antibiotic-resistant organisms in the rehabilitation setting

Preventing the spread of infection is a team effort. Development and use of rehabilitation-based infection control practices for control of ARO nosocomial infections must be a priority for rehabilitation research. Ongoing infection control surveillance of ARO presence, along with monitoring of resistance patterns, equips infection control practitioners with scientific data to identify appropriate barriers for use in the rehabilitation setting. Modification of antimicrobial usage may offer hope for reversing some of the damage done. With the assistance of physicians, infection control practitioners, laboratory personnel and others, we can prevent the spread of these dangerous organisms.