• Si-Ho Kim, Yu Jin Lee, Ji Hong Park, Seran Cheon, Jeong Seon Ryu, Jung Min Shin, Nam Sun Hong, Yi-Rang Jeong, Cheon Hoo Jeon, and Yu Mi Wi.
• Center for Infection Prevention and Control, Samsung Changwon Hospital, Changwon, Korea.
• J. Korean Med. Sci. 2025 Feb 10; 40 (5): e11e11.

BackgroundSingle room isolation with contact precautions is widely regarded as a fundamental strategy to prevent the transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). However, its implementation demands substantial resources, limiting its universal application to all MDROs. In this study, we assessed the effect of discontinuing single room isolation for vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE).MethodsThis is a retrospective, observational study conducted at a single 750-bed tertiary center. We conducted an interrupted time series analysis to compare incidence rates and trends of new-onset VRE colonization and bacteremia during the one year before and after the strategy change on January 1, 2023.ResultsSingle-room occupancy decreased from 79.7% pre-intervention to 23.6% post-intervention (P < 0.001). The incidence rate of new-onset VRE colonization was 0.452 and 0.535 per 1,000 patient-days in the pre- and post-intervention periods, respectively, with no statistically significant difference (P = 0.202). However, there was a slightly increasing trend (0.036 [95% confidence interval, -0.002, 0.074] increase per month, P = 0.066). The new-onset VRE bacteremia incidence rate was not differed in incidence (0.060 and 0.055, P = 0.571) or trend (P = 0.720).ConclusionOur study suggests that discontinuing single-room isolation for VRE patients may not affect the incidence of new-onset VRE bacteremia, but caution is needed due to the potential increase in colonization.© 2025 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.

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