Removing Unnecessary Contact Isolation Precautions
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterium that can be transmitted via skin-to-skin contact and may cause severe infections. BMC has a policy to place MRSA-colonized patients on contact isolation precautions. An estimated 15-30% of colonized patients clear within 90 days giving us the opportunity to reduce the need for private rooms, improve staff and patient satisfaction by reducing need for protective gear, minimize “isolation precaution fatigue”, and save an estimated $6.4 million/year by removing unnecessary MRSA precautions.
Eligible MRSA positive adults for rescreening are those:
- With no positive MRSA PCR or culture in the prior 90 days, and
- Who do not have an active antibiotic order.
A Best Practice Advisory Logic has been introduced to Admission Order Sets to facilitate removal MRSA precautions in eligible patients. This logic looks at patients previously identified as MRSA positive to begin a re-screening process at admission. The order is two-step testing, once on the day of the order and the second 48 hrs later if the first test is negative.
If both screens/cultures come back negative, please e-mail DG-Infection Prevention and isolation precautions will be removed.
PLEASE ONLY DE-SELECT ORDERS if patient is currently on antibiotics.