Marshall, Caroline, Spelman, Denis, Harrington, Glenys, and McBryde, Emma (2009) Daily hazard of acquisition of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in the intensive care unit. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 30 (2). pp. 125-129.

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Abstract

Objective: Increasing length of hospital stay is associated with methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) acquisition. The exact risk of becoming colonized with MRSA on a given day has not been clearly elucidated. We determined the hazard of MRSA acquisition in relation to the length of time spent in an intensive care unit in which only standard precautions were used for MRSA‐colonized and MRSA‐infected patients.

Methods: This study took place at a tertiary referral hospital intensive care unit in which patients were screened for MRSA at hospital admission, at hospital discharge, and twice weekly during intensive care unit stay. We analyzed the hazard of MRSA acquisition by using a statistical smoothing kernel for hazard with a width of 5 days. Patients were stratified according to age, sex, medical unit, and length of hospital stay.

Results: Of the patients who were at risk of colonization or infection, 12.8% acquired MRSA. The mean length of stay in the intensive care unit was 7.2 days. The daily hazard of acquiring MRSA was less than 1% at admission to the intensive care unit and increased linearly to more than 2% risk per day by day 12, followed by a leveling out of risk.

Conclusions: The daily hazard of acquiring MRSA is not constant. This has implications for studies that assume a constant hazard in their analysis and should be considered.

Item ID:	39776
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1559-6834
Date Deposited:	09 Sep 2015 03:49
FoR Codes:	11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1103 Clinical Sciences > 110309 Infectious Diseases @ 40% 11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1117 Public Health and Health Services > 111706 Epidemiology @ 40% 16 STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY > 1605 Policy and Administration > 160508 Health Policy @ 20%
SEO Codes:	92 HEALTH > 9201 Clinical Health (Organs, Diseases and Abnormal Conditions) > 920109 Infectious Diseases @ 50% 92 HEALTH > 9202 Health and Support Services > 920207 Health Policy Evaluation @ 50%
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