Frequently Asked Questions and Talking Points

This toolkit provides frequently asked questions (FAQs) and answers to address staff questions, as well as talking points for addressing patient questions about the decolonization protocol. The Active Bathing to Eliminate (ABATE) Infection Trial¹ used a decolonization regimen involving chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) bathing and nasal mupirocin. Because some hospitals prefer to use povidone-iodine swabs for nasal decolonization, FAQs and talking points for both options are included.

FAQ and talking points documents are provided in PDF versions as well as editable versions that allow hospitals to customize the documents to suit their needs.

• FAQs (Staff): CHG for Bathing (PDF, 290 KB; Word, 284.5 KB)
• FAQs (Staff): Nasal Mupirocin for MRSA-Positive Patients With Devices (PDF, 254.8 KB; Word, 281.4 KB)
• FAQs (Staff): Nasal Iodophor for MRSA-Positive Patients With Devices (PDF, 256.6 KB; Word, 280.8 KB)
• FAQs (Staff): Targeted Decolonization (PDF, 243.8 KB; Word, 279 KB)
• FAQs (Staff): Wound Cleaning (PDF, 214.5 KB; Word, 277.2 KB)
• FAQs (Staff): Safety and Side Effects: CHG and Mupirocin (PDF, 261 KB; Word, 284 KB)
• FAQs (Staff): Safety and Side Effects: CHG and Iodophor (PDF, 236 KB; Word, 285 KB)
• Talking Points (Patients) on CHG Bathing (PDF, 224.5 KB; Word, 279 KB)
• Talking Points (Patients) on Nasal Mupirocin (PDF, 236.6 KB; Word, 278.5 KB)
• Talking Points (Patients) on Nasal Iodophor (PDF, 236.8 KB; Word, 279 KB)

Reference:

1. Huang SS, Septimus E, Kleinman K, et al. Chlorhexidine versus routine bathing to prevent multi drug-resistant organisms and all-cause bloodstream infection in general medical and surgical units: the ABATE Infection Cluster Randomized Trial. Lancet. 2019 Mar 23;393(10177):1205-15. PMID: 30850112.