PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

MRSA infection rates drop in Veterans Affairs long-term care facilities

2014-01-06
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Liz Garman
egarman@apic.org
202-454-2604
Elsevier Health Sciences
MRSA infection rates drop in Veterans Affairs long-term care facilities Washington, DC, January 6, 2014 – Four years after implementing a national initiative to reduce methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) rates in Veterans Affairs (VA) long-term care facilities, MRSA infections have declined significantly, according to a study in the January issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

The MRSA Prevention Initiative, implemented nationwide in 133 VA long-term care facilities in 2009, led to a 36 percent overall decrease in MRSA infections (from .25 to .16/1000 resident days) over the 42-month study period, despite the fact that admissions with MRSA colonization increased.

The MRSA Prevention Initiative utilizes a bundled approach that includes screening every patient for MRSA, use of gowns and gloves when caring for patients colonized or infected with MRSA, hand hygiene, and an institutional culture change focusing on individual responsibility for infection control. It also created the new position of MRSA Prevention Coordinator at each center.

Residents in long-term care facilities are at risk for infections with multidrug-resistant organisms, and infectious organisms can be difficult to control when introduced into these settings. Because of concerns about MRSA prevalence in long-term care, the VA expanded the MRSA Prevention Initiative into the VA's 133 long-term care facilities throughout the U.S. The initiative had already shown dramatic success in reducing MRSA healthcare-associated infection (HAI) rates in acute care hospitals.

"We previously reported that a MRSA Prevention Initiative was associated with significant decreases in MRSA HAIs in acute care facilities over a 33-month period in a large healthcare system. Here we show that the initiative was also associated with decreased rates of MRSA HAIs in VA community living centers (CLCs) without a corresponding decrease in MRSA admission prevalence," state the authors. "To our knowledge, declines in MRSA HAIs such as this have not been reported in other large long-term care settings. Our experience suggests that adherence to a simple bundle of infection prevention and control strategies may be of value in controlling MRSA HAIs in CLCs, especially if the program is implemented widely throughout the network of healthcare venues in which an individual may seek care."

### Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterium that is resistant to many antibiotics. In the community, most MRSA infections are skin infections. In medical facilities, MRSA causes life-threatening bloodstream infections, pneumonia, and surgical site infections.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Stimulating brain cells stops binge drinking, animal study finds

2014-01-06
Stimulating brain cells stops binge drinking, animal study finds Results suggest it may be possible to use gene therapy in the brain to treat substance abuse, neurological diseases and mental illnesses BUFFALO, N.Y. – Researchers at the University at Buffalo have ...

US Army identifies 6 critical research targets for improving outcomes in traumatic brain injury

2014-01-06
US Army identifies 6 critical research targets for improving outcomes in traumatic brain injury New Rochelle, NY, January 6, 2014—The U.S. Department of Defense funds more than 500 neurotrauma research projects totaling over $700 million. ...

Establishing guides for molecular counting using fluorescent proteins

2014-01-06
Establishing guides for molecular counting using fluorescent proteins The study recently published in Nature Methods has been able to determine the photoactivation efficiency of fluorescent proteins, an important parameter that has so far ...

New technique targets specific areas of cancer cells with different drugs

2014-01-06
New technique targets specific areas of cancer cells with different drugs Researchers have developed a technique for creating nanoparticles that carry two different cancer-killing drugs into the body and deliver those drugs to separate parts of the cancer ...

ALMA spots supernova dust factory

2014-01-06
ALMA spots supernova dust factory Striking new observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope capture, for the first time, the remains of a recent supernova brimming with freshly formed dust. If enough of this dust makes the perilous transition into ...

BIDMC researcher looks at race and bariatric surgery

2014-01-06
BIDMC researcher looks at race and bariatric surgery Quality of life considerations are key when patients consider surgery BOSTON – While weight loss surgery offers one of the best opportunities to improve health and reduce obesity related illnesses, ...

Tiny proteins have outsized influence on nerve health

2014-01-06
Tiny proteins have outsized influence on nerve health And could make tarantula bites less painful Mutations in small proteins that help convey electrical signals throughout the body may have a surprisingly large effect on health, according to results of a new Johns ...

Miriam Hospital study shows keys to successful long-term weight loss maintenance

2014-01-06
Miriam Hospital study shows keys to successful long-term weight loss maintenance Study followed weight loss participants for a 10-year period (PROVIDENCE, R.I.) -- Researchers from The Miriam Hospital have published one of the first studies of its kind to follow weight loss maintenance for individuals ...

Tiny acts of microbe justice help reveal how nature fights freeloaders

2014-01-06
Tiny acts of microbe justice help reveal how nature fights freeloaders The idea of everyone in a community pitching in is so universal that even bacteria have a system to prevent the layabouts of their kind from enjoying the fruit of others' hard work, Princeton ...

Costs for complications from cancer surgical care extremely high

2014-01-06
Costs for complications from cancer surgical care extremely high Rice University, MD Anderson analyze statistics on cancer patients HOUSTON – (Jan. 6, 2014) – Although complications from surgical care for cancer patients may seem infrequent, the costs associated with such outcomes ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

U.S. uterine cancer incidence and mortality rates expected to significantly increase by 2050

Public take the lead in discovery of new exploding star

What are they vaping? Study reveals alarming surge in adolescent vaping of THC, CBD, and synthetic cannabinoids

ECMWF - delivering forecasts over 10 times faster and cutting energy usage by 1000

Brazilian neuroscientist reveals how viral infections transform the brain through microscopic detective work

Turning social fragmentation into action through discovering relatedness

Cheese may really be giving you nightmares, scientists find

Study reveals most common medical emergencies in schools

Breathable yet protective: Next-gen medical textiles with micro/nano networks

Frequency-engineered MXene supercapacitors enable efficient pulse charging in TENG–SC hybrid systems

Developed an AI-based classification system for facial pigmented lesions

Achieving 20% efficiency in halogen-free organic solar cells via isomeric additive-mediated sequential processing

New book Terraglossia reclaims language, Country and culture

The most effective diabetes drugs don't reach enough patients yet

Breast cancer risk in younger women may be influenced by hormone therapy

Strategies for staying smoke-free after rehab

Commentary questions the potential benefit of levothyroxine treatment of mild hypothyroidism during pregnancy

Study projects over 14 million preventable deaths by 2030 if USAID defunding continues

New study reveals 33% gap in transplant access for UK’s poorest children

Dysregulated epigenetic memory in early embryos offers new clues to the inheritance of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

IVF and IUI pregnancy rates remain stable across Europe, despite an increasing uptake of single embryo transfer

It takes a village: Chimpanzee babies do better when their moms have social connections

From lab to market: how renewable polymers could transform medicine

Striking increase in obesity observed among youth between 2011 and 2023

No evidence that medications trigger microscopic colitis in older adults

NYUAD researchers find link between brain growth and mental health disorders

Aging-related inflammation is not universal across human populations, new study finds

University of Oregon to create national children’s mental health center with $11 million federal grant

Rare achievement: UTA undergrad publishes research

Fact or fiction? The ADHD info dilemma

[Press-News.org] MRSA infection rates drop in Veterans Affairs long-term care facilities