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Multidrug resistant organisms are microorganisms that are resistant to more or more antimicrobial agents or antibiotics. These contain Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus species(VER), carbapenemase-producing Enterbacteriaeae, and Gram-negative bacteria that produce extended spectrum beta-lactamases(ESBLs). Carbapenemase-producing Enterbacteriaeae and ESBLs produce chemicals that allow them to resist the effect of certain antimicrobials and are easily passed between different species. Other species such as MDR Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and organisms like Stenotrophomonas maltophilia are intrinsically resistant to the broadest-spectrum antimicrobial agents. These cause treatments to be limited and raise increasing alarm to prevent further harm. The World Health Organization recognized MDROs as a growing threat and a health risk as people can be carriers or cause harm to medically vulnerable patients. In the US alone, MDROs cause 23,000 deaths annually and 11% of individuals screened in healthcare facilities are carriers without symptoms. Gram-negative bacteria have been increasing over the last decade with carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae as one of the most common MDROs. Another MRSA is another MDRO that has increased in the community despite the decrease in hospital settings. Application of patient safety practices universally allow to reduce the burden of colonization and infection but there are several methods for controlling MDROs and preventing MDRO infections. SIx priority patient safety practices are chlorhexidine bathing to control MDROs, hand hygiene to reduce MDRO transmission, active surveillance strategies for MDROs, environmental cleaning and disinfectant strategies, minimizing exposure to invasive devices and reducing device associated MDRO risks, and communication of patients’ MDRO status.

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