Screening patients in the ICU for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) produces cost savings for the whole hospital, according to a study.

The research was led by John A. Nyman, PhD, a health economist at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. It assessed the possible impact and cost effectiveness of active detection of MRSA and isolation on frequency of MRSA infections in the ICUs and hospital-wide.
"This study presents evidence of the cost savings from implementing a program that targets the ICU population but that has an effect that is hospital-wide," according to Dr. Nyman and his colleagues. "Although we find that this program pays for itself through the MRSA infections prevented, it is important that hospitals also consider how this type of program fits into their overall institutional, infection-prevention programs and realize that this intervention is only one of many alternative interventions that are designed to prevent healthcare-associated infections."
The authors contend that this approach could complement other strategies to further reduce the incidence of MRSA infection. "We owe it to the patients to continue to assess and improve our preventive strategies," they say in conclusion.
MRSA is an antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can lead to severe infections and is associated with approximately 19,000 deaths annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A 2006 survey conducted by APIC showed that 46 out of every 1,000 inpatients were either infected or colonized with MRSA -- a rate eight times higher than previous estimates. The annual cost to treat MRSA in hospitalized patients is estimated at $3.2 to 4.2 billion.
Some policy-makers have recommended universal screening to reduce hospital-acquired MRSA infection. APIC has called for a more targeted, evidence-based approach that allows hospitals to tailor screening efforts based on their unique situation and recently published an updated Guide to the Elimination of MRSA Transmission in Hospital Settings, 2nd Edition, including a section on active surveillance testing.
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Source-Eurekalert