A combination of several infection prevention strategies called a "MRSA bundle" decreased healthcare-associated MRSA infections in ICUs by 62 percent in Veterans Affairs hospitals, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The MRSA bundle included universal nasal surveillance for MRSA, contact precautions for patients colonized or infected with MRSA, hand hygiene and a change in institutional culture that promoted universal accountability for infection control.
VA hospitals implemented the bundle in Oct. 2007. From Oct. 2007-June 2010, the rate of healthcare-associated MRSA infections in ICUs fell 62 percent and in non-ICUs fell 45 percent.
In the same period the percentage of patients who were screened at admission increased from 82-96 percent. The percentage of patients screened at transfer or discharge rose from 72-93 percent.
Read the New England Journal of Medicine abstract on MRSA infection reductions in VA hospitals.
Read more coverage on infection control:
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Makes Over Facility With Copper to Fight Infections
- ASHE, APIC Release Joint Statement Following Recent Johns Hopkins Faucet Study
- Researchers Recommend Surveillance of VRE in C. Diff Patients
The MRSA bundle included universal nasal surveillance for MRSA, contact precautions for patients colonized or infected with MRSA, hand hygiene and a change in institutional culture that promoted universal accountability for infection control.
VA hospitals implemented the bundle in Oct. 2007. From Oct. 2007-June 2010, the rate of healthcare-associated MRSA infections in ICUs fell 62 percent and in non-ICUs fell 45 percent.
In the same period the percentage of patients who were screened at admission increased from 82-96 percent. The percentage of patients screened at transfer or discharge rose from 72-93 percent.
Read the New England Journal of Medicine abstract on MRSA infection reductions in VA hospitals.
Read more coverage on infection control:
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Makes Over Facility With Copper to Fight Infections
- ASHE, APIC Release Joint Statement Following Recent Johns Hopkins Faucet Study
- Researchers Recommend Surveillance of VRE in C. Diff Patients
