Costs of an outbreak of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Hospital Epidemiology
• Health Economics

Background:

• Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) outbreaks pose significant challenges in healthcare settings.
• Understanding the economic impact of MRSA is crucial for implementing effective control strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the total costs associated with a 14-month MRSA outbreak in a tertiary care hospital.
• To identify the primary cost drivers, including screening, isolation, and treatment.
• To evaluate income loss resulting from bed closures during the outbreak.

Main Methods:

• Categorization of patients into MRSA-infected, colonized, exposed inconclusive, and MRSA-negative groups.
• Review of patient charts for infection types and staff interviews for control measure implementation.
• Utilization of hospital databases for patient numbers, patient-days, and unit costs.
• Analysis of income loss due to bed closures.

Main Results:

• The outbreak involved 266 MRSA-positive patients and 797 exposed patients, resulting in 11,744 contact isolation days.
• Total additional costs for MRSA were €386,062, with 70% attributed to screening and 25% to contact isolation.
• Costs related to meticillin resistance in MRSA infections amounted to €16,000.
• Income loss due to closed beds reached €1,183,808.

Conclusions:

• MRSA screening methods are a significant cost factor, emphasizing the need for optimized approaches.
• The economic burden of MRSA outbreaks extends beyond direct medical costs to include substantial income loss.
• The developed cost analysis model can be adapted by other hospitals to assess their MRSA-related expenses.