A study in JAMA Network Open found that a large-scale, federally funded quality improvement program was associated with a 65% reduction in hospital-onset bloodstream infections caused by MRSA.
The findings suggest a comprehensive approach to putting existing infection prevention evidence into everyday practice can substantially reduce infections among hospitalized patients. The safety program (AHRQ) was implemented in 106 ICUs and 87 non-ICUs in 94 hospitals across the U.S.
MRSA is a staph that is resistant to antibiotics. Devices such as central venous catheters, which cross the body's natural skin barrier, create a potential route for staph bacteria to enter the bloodstream and cause an infection.
Hospital units that participated in this intervention received education and implementation resources on hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, device-associated infection prevention, chlorhexidine bathing, and nasal decolonization.
Researchers compared infection rates during the 18-month implementation period with rates during the 12 months before the program began. They found the rate of hospital-onset MRSA infections was 65% lower during the implementation period. They also observed a 39% reduction in MRSA-positive clinical cultures collected later during hospitalization, a 37% reduction in bloodstream infections from all causes, and a 31% reduction in central line-associated bloodstream infections.
