Changes in isolation guidelines for CPE patients results in only a mild reduction in required hospital beds

Abstract

Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) are an emerging public health concern globally as they are resistant to a broad spectrum of antibiotics. Colonisation with CPE typically requires patients to be managed under 'contact precautions', which creates additional physical bed demands in healthcare facilities. This study examined the potential impact of revised isolation guidelines introduced in late 2023 in Victoria, Australia, that relaxed the requirement for indefinite isolation of CPE-colonised patients in contact precautions, based on admission of CPE-diagnosed cases prior to the guideline change. Our analysis showed that while the changes result in modest savings in the need for dedicated isolation rooms, they could reduce the duration of time individual patients spend in isolation by up to three weeks. However, ongoing investments to expand isolation capacity would still be required to accommodate the rising incidence of CPE.