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Discontinuation of contact precautions for patients no longer colonized with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus

Holenarasipur R Vikram1, Diane G Dumigan, Cynthia Kohan

  • 1Division of Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix-Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
|March 27, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Hospitals can safely reduce isolation for patients previously colonized with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Screening patients without recent positive MRSA cultures identified 21% who were no longer colonized and could be removed from contact precautions.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Hospital Epidemiology
  • Infection Control

Background:

  • Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization poses a significant challenge in healthcare settings.
  • Repeated isolation of patients with known MRSA colonization upon hospital readmission can be resource-intensive and impact patient experience.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the feasibility and impact of screening patients with a history of MRSA colonization but no recent positive cultures.
  • To reduce unnecessary isolation measures for patients who have cleared MRSA.

Main Methods:

  • A screening protocol was implemented for patients with a history of MRSA colonization.
  • Patients without a positive MRSA culture in the preceding 6 months were tested.
  • Patients found to be non-colonized were removed from contact precautions.

Main Results:

  • Out of 98 screened patients, 21% (21 patients) were no longer colonized with MRSA.
  • These patients were successfully removed from contact precautions, optimizing resource allocation.

Conclusions:

  • Periodic screening can effectively identify patients with resolved MRSA colonization.
  • This approach allows for the de-escalation of isolation precautions, improving hospital workflow and patient care.

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