Nationwide reduction of health care–associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in Veterans Affairs long-term care facilities

• Published in: American journal of infection control Vol. 42; no. 1; pp. 60 - 62
• Main Authors: Evans, Martin E., MD, Kralovic, Stephen M., MD, MPH, Simbartl, Loretta A., MS, Freyberg, Ron W., MS, Obrosky, D. Scott, MS, Roselle, Gary A., MD, Jain, Rajiv, MD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Mosby, Inc 2014; Elsevier; Mosby-Year Book, Inc
• Subjects: Bacterial diseases; Biological and medical sciences; Disease prevention; Epidemiology. Vaccinations; General aspects; Health care–associated infection; Human bacterial diseases; Human infectious diseases. Experimental studies and models; Incidence; Infection Control; Infectious Disease; Infectious diseases; Long-Term Care; Medical sciences; Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - isolation & purification; Nosocomial infections; Nursing home; Nursing Homes; Prevalence; Regression analysis; Staphylococcal Infections - epidemiology; Staphylococcal Infections - microbiology; Staphylococcal infections, streptococcal infections, pneumococcal infections; Staphylococcus infections; United States - epidemiology; United States Department of Veterans Affairs; United States; United States > US; Nursing home; Health care–associated infection; Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Long-term care; Nosocomial infection; Health care―associated infection; Check; Long term; Infection; Prevention; Bacteriosis; Bacteria; Micrococcales; Micrococcaceae; Homes for the aged; Staphylococcal infection; Staphylococcus aureus
• ISSN: 0196-6553; 1527-3296
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2013.06.004

The Veterans Affairs methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Prevention Initiative was implemented in its 133 long-term care facilities in January 2009. Between July 2009 and December 2012, there were ∼12.9 million resident-days in these facilities nationwide. During this period, the mean quarterly MRSA admission prevalence increased from 23.3% to 28.7% ( P  < .0001, Poisson regression for trend), but the overall rate of MRSA health care–associated infections decreased by 36%, from 0.25 to 0.16/1,000 resident-days ( P  < .0001, Poisson regression for trend).