Veterans Affairs initiative to prevent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections - PubMed (original) (raw)

. 2011 Apr 14;364(15):1419-30.

doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1007474.

Stephen M Kralovic, Martin E Evans, Meredith Ambrose, Loretta A Simbartl, D Scott Obrosky, Marta L Render, Ron W Freyberg, John A Jernigan, Robert R Muder, LaToya J Miller, Gary A Roselle

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Veterans Affairs initiative to prevent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections

Rajiv Jain et al. N Engl J Med. 2011.

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Abstract

Background: Health care-associated infections with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have been an increasing concern in Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals.

Methods: A "MRSA bundle" was implemented in 2007 in acute care VA hospitals nationwide in an effort to decrease health care-associated infections with MRSA. The bundle consisted of universal nasal surveillance for MRSA, contact precautions for patients colonized or infected with MRSA, hand hygiene, and a change in the institutional culture whereby infection control would become the responsibility of everyone who had contact with patients. Each month, personnel at each facility entered into a central database aggregate data on adherence to surveillance practice, the prevalence of MRSA colonization or infection, and health care-associated transmissions of and infections with MRSA. We assessed the effect of the MRSA bundle on health care-associated MRSA infections.

Results: From October 2007, when the bundle was fully implemented, through June 2010, there were 1,934,598 admissions to or transfers or discharges from intensive care units (ICUs) and non-ICUs (ICUs, 365,139; non-ICUs, 1,569,459) and 8,318,675 patient-days (ICUs, 1,312,840; and non-ICUs, 7,005,835). During this period, the percentage of patients who were screened at admission increased from 82% to 96%, and the percentage who were screened at transfer or discharge increased from 72% to 93%. The mean (±SD) prevalence of MRSA colonization or infection at the time of hospital admission was 13.6±3.7%. The rates of health care-associated MRSA infections in ICUs had not changed in the 2 years before October 2007 (P=0.50 for trend) but declined with implementation of the bundle, from 1.64 infections per 1000 patient-days in October 2007 to 0.62 per 1000 patient-days in June 2010, a decrease of 62% (P<0.001 for trend). During this same period, the rates of health care-associated MRSA infections in non-ICUs fell from 0.47 per 1000 patient-days to 0.26 per 1000 patient-days, a decrease of 45% (P<0.001 for trend).

Conclusions: A program of universal surveillance, contact precautions, hand hygiene, and institutional culture change was associated with a decrease in health care-associated transmissions of and infections with MRSA in a large health care system.

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