SNSF | P3 Research Database

Nosocomial infection; antimicrobial resistance; Staphylococcus aureus; prevention; early diagnosis

English title	An interventional study to evaluate the impact of a rapid on-admission screening strategy in preventing nosocomial MRSA infection and improving patient safety
Applicant	Harbarth Stephan Jürgen
Number	106294
Funding scheme	NRP 49 Antibiotic resistance
Research institution	Serv. Prévention et Contrôle de l’Infection Direction médicale HUG
Institution of higher education	University of Geneva - GE
Main discipline	Infectious Diseases
Start/End	01.07.2004 - 31.01.2007
Approved amount	140'027.00

Lead

Lay summary
An interventional study to evaluate the impact of a rapid on-admission screening strategy in preventing nosocomial MRSA infection and improving patient safety Background Carriage with antimicrobial-resistant pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) places patients at high risk for antibiotic-resistant nosocomial infection. Early identification of patients colonized with MRSA and subsequent prevention of patient-to-patient spread through proper infection control are the most potent interventions to control MRSA. Moreover, rapid MRSA screening may improve patient safety by decreasing MRSA infection rates through directing the choice of antibiotic agents for perioperative prophylaxis and treatment. The primary focus of this proposal is early detection of colonized MRSA patients and interdiction of further cross-infection through specific preventive measures (e.g., contact isolation, topical decolonization) at a large surgical department of a Swiss university hospital. Aim The purpose of this research project is to test the idea that a molecular technique enabling rapid screening and early detection of MRSA carriage at a large surgical department can: 1) Substantially reduce the rate of nosocomial MRSA infection; 2) Significantly decrease the overall proportion of multi-resistant staphylococcal infections; 3) Increase individual patient safety by improving adequacy of antibiotic prophylaxis and treatment. Significance This proposal allows application of a new rapid molecular technique to detect MRSA carriage on patient admission and to decrease nosocomial MRSA cross-infection. Thus, this project will promote technological development with a direct impact on daily clinical practice. Moreover, it is likely that the proposed project may help to establish recommendations for MRSA control in other hospitals. Ultimately, this work will contribute to the prevention of healthcare-associated infection and improved quality of patient care and safety.