Duration of Contact Precautions in Acute Care Settings

Publication Date: February 1, 2018

Key Points

Key Points

This expert guidance document provides recommendations regarding discontinuation of contact precautions (CP) at the individual patient level in acute-care hospitals employing CP for 1 or more of the following organisms: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), Clostridium difficile (CDI), and multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (MDR-E), including carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)–producing organisms.

Recommendations herein are based on synthesis of limited evidence, theoretical rationale, current practices, practical considerations, the opinion of the writing group, consideration of potential harms, and a survey of 134 institutions within the SHEA Research Network, 26% of which are outside the United States and Canada.

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

...esistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)...

...uses CP for patients previously colon...


...or patients not on antimicrobial therapy...


...patients, such as those with chronic wounds o...


...eak setting, if a facility’s endemic...


Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE)

Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE...

...l uses CP when caring for patients colonized...


...ends that, following treatment of VRE infect...


...spitals should consider extending CP prior to ass...


...tside an outbreak setting and if faci...


Multidrug-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (MDR-E)

...istant Enterobacteriaceae (MDR-E)...

...f a hospital uses CP for patients infected o...


...EA recommends that for extensively...


Clostridium difficile

...ridium difficile

...ds that patients with C. difficile...


...pitals should consider extending CP through...


..., insufficient evidence exists to...


Microbiological Screening and Molecular Testing

...al Screening and Molecular Testing...

...insufficient evidence exists to make...