| Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is considered an epidemiologically significant organism that has become endemic in many hospitals across the United States. Patient-to-patient transmission of MRSA has become a cause of increased morbidity and mortality among hospitalized patients, particularly in intensive care unit (ICU) locations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of electronic surveillance systems on healthcare-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA) infections in adult and pediatric ICUs across a sample of 51 hospitals. This interrupted time series design employed segmented Poisson regression analysis using secondary data derived from the Prevention of Nosocomial Infections and Cost Effectiveness Refined data set. The results of this study indicated no statistically significant relationship between electronic surveillance systems and HA-MRSA infections (p = 0.812). Instead, results implied a statistically significant decline in the observed overall trend of HA-MRSA infections (p = < 0.001), suggesting that HA-MRSA infections were steadily declining independent of the introduction of electronic surveillance systems. The findings of this study add to the developing body of evidence suggesting that multifaceted infection prevention efforts are effective in reducing HA-MRSA infections among hospital patients. This knowledge, which can be used to inform public health policy decisions and formulate sustainable, cost-effective strategies for HA-MRSA prevention, contributes to positive social change. Improved prevention of MRSA will positively affect patient outcomes, measured by decreased hospital length of stay, decreased hospital readmissions, and decreased death associated with HA-MRSA infections. |
