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Answering your questions about Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE)
What is VRE?
How is VRE spread?
How can I get VRE?
What special precautions are required for VRE?
What will happen at home?
St. Joseph's Public Reporting
What is being publicly reported?
What determines the rate?
What is the health care system doing with this information?
How frequently is St. Joseph's reporting this information?
Always tell your physician and other health care providers that you have VRE.
If you or your family have questions or concerns, please ask your doctor or nurse. They can contact Infection Prevention and Control for more information. We thank you for your cooperation.
Answering your questions about Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE)
What is VRE?
Enterococci are bacteria (“bugs”)
that are part of the normal human bowel. All normal bugs can cause infection if they are given an opportunity, for example, moving from their usual home onto a surgical incision or drain. Certain strains of the Enterococci bug have learned how to survive even with the use of antibiotics. This is called antibiotic resistance. One such strain has become resistant to the antibiotic called Vancomycin.
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How is VRE spread?
VRE is spread from person to person by contact, usually on the hands or by touching contaminated equipment or objects. A person carrying the VRE bug can shed the bug in their stool. If the carrier of this bug does not wash their hands well, they may spread the bug from their hands to other objects. VRE can live on Hands, and for weeks on places such as toilet seats, taps, door handles, bedrails, furniture, and bedpans. With proper use of disinfectants and good hand washing, VRE can be killed.
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How can I get VRE?
A person in the hospital for a long time or taking antibiotics is at higher risk of developing VRE. If you touch dirty objects, your hands may also pick up the bug. The bug can enter your body if you put something in your mouth using unwashed hands. That is why it is important that everyone, including hospital staff, patients, and visitors wash their hands well and often. A swab near the rectum can tell if you are carrying VRE.
What special precautions are required for VRE?
Precautions are taken to prevent spread to other patients. If you have VRE, you would be moved to a single room. People caring for you will wear a gown and gloves to prevent carrying the bug to other patients. Family and visitors may also be required to wear a gown and gloves while in your room. Everyone who enters or leaves your room must clean their hands well. A sign will be placed on your door to remind others who enter your room about the special precautions.
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What will happen at home?
If you have VRE at the time of discharge from hospital, the chance of spreading the bug to your family is small. We do recommend that you and everyone who might help you with your personal hygiene wash their hands well and frequently. There is no special cleaning of furniture or other items in the home. Clothing may be laundered in the usual manner.
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St. Joseph's Public Reporting
What is publicly reported?
Each hospital will post its quarterly rate and case count of new VRE bacteraemia acquired in their facility on their website. At the end of each quarter, the Ministry will report the previous quarter’s data on its website by hospital site including:
- the number of new hospital acquired VRE bacteraemia cases that is zero (0) or totalling five (5) or more associated with that hospital site, or if this is less than 5 cases (i.e. 1 to 4 cases), text reading "< 5 cases", and
- the hospital acquired VRE bacteraemia rate
It is important to note that VRE bacteraemia rates do not necessarily reflect the rate of VRE colonization in the hospital.
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What determines the rate?
The total number of new cases of VRE bacteraemia acquired in the hospital in a quarter is divided by the total number of patient days for that quarter. Patient days are the number of days spent in a hospital for all patients.
The results are multiplied by 1000. This represents the rate of hospital acquired VRE bacteraemia associated with the reporting facility per 1000 patient days for that quarter. (e.g. 2 cases for that quarter ÷ 30,000 patient days for that quarter = 0.00006 x 1000 = 0.06 per 1000 patient days). The rates of infection will be calculated by quarter.
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What is the health care system doing with this information?
Hospital acquired infection rates provide one measure of patient safety and quality of care. The rate of hospital acquired VRE bacteraemia can be used to analyze any trends of infection, sources of infection and general surveillance of VRE bacteraemia. It can also assist hospitals to evaluate the effectiveness of infection prevention and control interventions and make further improvements based on this information.
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How frequently is St. Joseph's reporting this information?
We post our quarterly rate and case count of new VRE on our website.
We also have a summary of our VRE information posted for the last year in a chart as well as a line graph so we can show you how we are performing.
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Page last updated: October 29, 2010
