Candida Auris: Halting the Invasion of the Yeast Beast

Session Description: In recent years, the rise of novel and emerging diseases has raised significant concerns within the healthcare community. The prevalence of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), such as Candida auris (C. auris), is on the rise. Managing these microorganisms poses a significant challenge due to limited information, resources, and effective screening strategies. Compounding this challenge is the fact that many individuals may be colonized without exhibiting any obvious signs or symptoms, further complicating the detection process.

To address these gaps, the Infection Prevention (IP) team at a safety net, level 1 trauma, acute care center has taken proactive measures to enhance preparedness. The identify, isolate, and inform methodology is the foundation for these mitigation efforts. This approach focuses specifically on the identification, isolation, and communication of pertinent information regarding these escalating threats.

Identify:
A screening tool was integrated into our electronic health record (EHR) to identify patients at increased risk of colonization or infection. This screening tool focused on identifying patients admitted from outside facilities with increased risk factors for colonization testing.

Isolate:
Patients with suspected or confirmed C. auris are immediately placed under contact isolation precautions and potentially exposed patients are flagged for testing to determine the prevalence of colonization.

Inform:
An email distribution list was established as a means of informing key stakeholders of these mitigation efforts, new cases, and process changes. Rule-out (R/O) C. auris infection flags were created to auto-populate in the EHR based on screening criteria triggers. These flags also alert healthcare providers to ensure contact isolation is promptly ordered.

In summary, effective interventions ensure the rapid identification of high-risk patients, enabling timely isolation and preventing the spread of infections.