European survey of management of patients with multidrug-resistant organisms in rehabilitation facilities

Healthcare-Associated Infections in Subjects With Severe Acquired Brain Injury: The Effect of Microbial Colonization on the Functional Outcome. Data From a Multicenter Observational Study

“…In this regard, despite frequent colonization, it has been previously recognized that care facilities including rehabilitation wards often do not have the same infection control resources as acute care units, nor is there a consensus on how colonized patients should be managed during rehabilitation stay (46). This aspect is particularly important in rehabilitation facilities, where the sharing of common spaces (e.g., gyms or areas for group therapy) and the close interaction with healthcare operators are basic elements of rehabilitation, but at the same time, they can facilitate the propagation of infections.…”

Management of patients with multidrug-resistant organisms in rehabilitation facilities. Results of a survey in the Rhine-Main region, Germany, 2019

“…Before discussing the results, some limitations must be mentioned: only 22 out of the 43 rehabilitation clinics in the region answered (response rate 58%). Although percentages should not be used in such small entities, we reported the results in numbers and percentages for better comparison with the data of Doherty et al [ 22 ]. Regarding the specialization of the answering clinics, there were twelve orthopaedic, five cardiology, four neurology, four internal medicine, three psychosomatic, three pulmonology, two geriatric, two rheumatic, one paediatric and one urology unit, including four units for early neurological rehabilitation (multiple responses were possible).…”

“…The results of our survey can be compared to the data from the Europe-wide survey in 45 rehabilitation facilities conducted in 2016, including nine institutions from Italy, four from Greece, two from Spain – more from high-prevalence countries – and only one from Germany [ 22 ]. Hence, it is plausible that the Europe-wide study indicates a much higher prevalence of MDRO.…”

“…The European Survey’s questionnaire was published as additional material to the article by Doherty et al [ 22 ], encompassing questions on the type and the organization of the respective facility, the number of rooms and beds, the availability of guidelines for the management of patients with MDRO, the screening for and the prevalence of MDRO, the grouping or cohorting of patients with MDRO, and any restriction of the activities of patients with MDRO. This questionnaire was translated into German, with some questions altered.…”

“…When a European survey of management of patients with MDRO in rehabilitation facilities was published in 2019 [ 22 ], the MDRO Rhine-Main network decided to conduct this survey – with some amendments – in the rehabilitation facilities of the Rhine-Main region, Germany. The aims of the survey were 1. to describe the management of patients with MDRO in the Rhine-Main region, and 2. to compare the data with the European survey, which was conducted in 2016, encompassing 45 facilities in 28 European countries.…”