Researchers have determined five factors that may help predict the risk of MRSA colonization among emergency department patients, according to a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control.
Researchers studied a total of 277 patients from Nov. 2009 to March 2011 who were seen in the emergency room. Of these patients, 31.4 percent had a positive nasal swab culture or a MRSA polymerase chain reaction assay. The researchers found five risk factors were associated with the following rates of MRSA colonization:
1. Past history of colonization/infections — 60 percent
2. History of previous antibiotic use — 47.2 percent
3. More than 30 days hospitalization in the past three months — 43.9 percent
4. More than 10 days hospitalization in the past three months — 41.7 percent
5. History of hospitalization because of acute illness — 40 percent
Researchers studied a total of 277 patients from Nov. 2009 to March 2011 who were seen in the emergency room. Of these patients, 31.4 percent had a positive nasal swab culture or a MRSA polymerase chain reaction assay. The researchers found five risk factors were associated with the following rates of MRSA colonization:
1. Past history of colonization/infections — 60 percent
2. History of previous antibiotic use — 47.2 percent
3. More than 30 days hospitalization in the past three months — 43.9 percent
4. More than 10 days hospitalization in the past three months — 41.7 percent
5. History of hospitalization because of acute illness — 40 percent
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