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A purpose built MRSA cohort unit.

F Fitzpatrick1, O M Murphy, A Brady

  • 1Department of Clinical Microbiology, St Vincent's University Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin 4, Ireland. f.fitzpatrick@st-vincents.ie

The Journal of Hospital Infection
|February 15, 2001
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Cohorting patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a specialized unit, alongside strict cleaning protocols, effectively reduced MRSA colonization and environmental contamination. This approach also minimized the risk of staff colonization, improving patient care outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Hospital Epidemiology
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Hospital-acquired infections, particularly methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), pose a significant challenge to patient care.
  • Effective strategies are needed to control MRSA transmission within healthcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the impact of patient cohorting on MRSA decolonization success.
  • To evaluate the risk of MRSA colonization among healthcare staff in a cohort unit.
  • To determine the feasibility of environmental MRSA control within a dedicated unit.

Main Methods:

  • Established an 11-bed cohort unit for MRSA-colonized patients with on-site rehabilitation.
  • Implemented a patient database for tracking demographics, infection, eradication, and reacquisition rates.

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  • Conducted weekly staff screening and environmental sampling at multiple time points (pre-opening, 48h, 6 weeks, 6 months).

    • Main Results:

    • 26% of admitted patients (23/88) were successfully decolonized, exceeding the hospital's general rate of 20%.
    • Five MRSA-colonized staff members were identified and successfully decolonized.
    • Effective environmental MRSA control was achieved using daily detergent cleaning and weekly phenolic disinfectant application.

    Conclusions:

    • Patient cohorting, combined with rigorous staff education and supervised cleaning, can successfully control environmental MRSA.
    • This integrated approach facilitates patient decolonization and mitigates the risk of healthcare worker colonization.
    • The specialized unit demonstrates a viable model for improving the quality of care for MRSA-colonized patients.