Melanie Ronda, RN, MSN, host of our weekly IP3 Office Hours, gets many questions each week. Here’s one that may resonate with you:
Q: What are the changes with enhanced barrier precautions (EBP) for long-term care?
A: Enhanced barrier precautions are infection prevention and control measures to reduce the spread of resistant germs. EBP consists of standard precautions such as additional gowns and gloves during high-contact resident care activities. CDC updated enhanced barrier precautions on July 12, 2022.
Summary of Recent Changes
The CDC added additional rationale for using Enhanced Barrier Precautions (EBP) in nursing homes, including the high prevalence of multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) colonization among residents in this setting.
- Expanded residents for whom EBP applies to include any resident with an indwelling medical device or wound (regardless of MDRO colonization or infection status).
- Expanded MDROs for which EBP applies.
- Clarified that, in most situations, continue EBP for the duration of a resident’s admission.
Here’s more from the CDC on Implementation of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Use in Nursing Homes to Prevent Spread of Multidrugresistant Organisms (MDROs).