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Multidrug-Resistant Organisms Detected More Than 48 Hours After Hospital Admission Are Not Necessarily Hospital-Acquired

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 October 2016

Stefan Erb
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Reno Frei
Affiliation:
Division of Clinical Microbiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Marc Dangel
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Andreas F. Widmer*
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
*
Address correspondence to Prof. Andreas F. Widmer, MD, Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland (Andreas.Widmer@usb.ch).

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Infections and colonization with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) identified >48 hours after hospital admission are considered healthcare-acquired according to the definition of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some may originate from delayed diagnosis rather than true acquisition in the hospital, potentially diluting the impact of infection control programs. In addition, such infections are not necessarily reimbursed in a healthcare system based on the diagnosis-related groups (DRGs).

OBJECTIVE

The goal of the study was to estimate the preventable proportion of healthcare-acquired infections in a tertiary care hospital in Switzerland by analyzing patients colonized or infected with MDROs.

METHODS

All hospitalized patients with healthcare-acquired MDRO infection or colonization (HAMIC) or according to the CDC definition (CDC-HAMIC) were prospectively assessed from 2002 to 2011 to determine whether there was evidence for nosocomial transmission. We utilized an additional work-up with epidemiological, microbiological, and molecular typing data to determine the true preventable proportion of HAMICs.

RESULTS

Overall, 1,190 cases with infection or colonization with MDROs were analyzed; 274 (23.0%) were classified as CDC-HAMICs. Only 51.8% of CDC-HAMICs had confirmed evidence of hospital-acquisition and were considered preventable. Specifically, 57% of MRSA infections, 83.3% of VRE infections, 43.9% of ESBL infections, and 74.1% of non-ESBL MDRO infections were preventable HAMICs.

CONCLUSIONS

The CDC definition overestimates the preventable proportion of HAMICs with MDROs by more than 50%. Relying only on the CDC definition of HAMICs may lead to inaccurate measurement of the impact of infection control interventions and to inadequate reimbursement under the DRG system.

Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 2016;1–6

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
© 2016 by The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. All rights reserved 

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