Beat Those Bugs! Implementing contact precautions in community dialysis units for closer-to-home care

"Beat Those Bugs!" was the call to action for the Providence Health Care Renal and Infection Prevention and Control programs to provide closer-to-home care in community dialysis units, for hemodialysis patients positive for the antibiotic-resistant organisms, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus. The initiative assessed barriers and facilitators to: implementing Contact Precautions; developing practice standards for nurses and renal technicians to enact Contact Precautions care; providing staff and patient education essential to implementing these standards; and, securing environmental and equipment supports required for Contact Precautions care. Through the "Beat Those Bugs!" initiative, all six Providence Health Care Community Dialysis Units have the capacity to provide Standard/ Routine as well as Contact Precautions care enabling patients to receive closer-to-home care in their home communities regardless of their antibiotic-resistant microorganism status. Program evaluation (based on annual screening) demonstrates that the "Beat Those Bugs!" program is an effective model for safe, evidence-based and ethical care in the hemodialysis setting.