Abstract: OBJECTIVE To carry out the active screening of carbapenem-resistant organisms (CROs) for the intensive care unit (ICU) patients by using rapid chromogenic media, evaluate the effect on detection, and analyze the value in prevention and control of health care-associated infections (HAIs). METHODS The patients who were treated in the ICUs of General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University from Dec. 2023 to Aug. 2024 were assigned as the control group (602 cases, routine submission), and the patients who were treated from Dec. 2024 to Aug. 2025 were chosen as the study group (568 cases, 473 of whom completed the active screening with multisite chromogenic media), the efficiency of the chromogenic media in detection of the strains was evaluated by setting the microbiological laboratory bacterial culture as the gold standards. The baseline characteristics at the admission to ICU,Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE-II) score, isolation rates of CROs, incidence of HAIs, and length of hospital stay were observed and compared between the two groups of patients. RESULTSThe result could be read when the chromogenic media were cultured for 18 to 24 hours. The positive rate of CROs was 18.82% for the screening of 473 patients, with the sensitivity 94.44%, the specificity 93.81%, the negative predictive value 99.64%, the positive predictive value 48.57%. There was significant difference in the APACHEⅡ score between the study group and the control group (P＜ 0.05), and the APACHEⅡ score of the study group was (17.89±7.04) points. The isolation rate of CROs from the submitted clinical specimens was 31.54% in the study group, higher than 22.26% in the control group(P＜0.05); the incidence of health care-associated CROs infections of the study group was 5.28%, lower than that of the control group; the length of ICU stay of the study group was 4.57(2.75, 8.91)days, shorter than that of the control group(P＜ 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The chromogenic media enable the rapid presentation of result at low cost and exhibit excellent screening efficiencies manifested by the high sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive value. Active surveillance using this medium enables early identification and isolation of CRO carriers, thereby reducing the risk of CRO-associated healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in ICU wards. It is well-suited for implementation in clinical settings for routine CRO screening. The active screening that is carried out based on it may achieve the early identification and isolation of the people carrying CROs so as to reduce the risk of health care-associated CROs infections in the ICUs. It is suitable for screening of CROs in medical institutions.