Are Contact Precautions Necessary to Decrease Risk of Infection?

Research published in the American Journal of Infection Control questions whether contact precaution protocols effectively decrease the risk of healthcare-associated infections such as MRSA.

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For their study, researchers assessed infection outcomes for more than 6,000 patients from January 2007 to December 2010. In the last year (January to December 2010), researchers stopped placing patients who were asymptomatically colonized with MRSA in contact precautions.

 

The researchers found seven patients acquired MRSA: one patient in the first year and two patients in each of the last three years, including 2010. Researchers suggested placing patients who are asymptomatically colonized with MRSA in contact precautions may not decrease risk of infection.

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“Active Surveillance,” Barrier Precautions Not as Effective in Reducing MRSA, VRE

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