For their study, researchers relied on diagnostic codes to identify patients who either had present-on-admission MRSA, pre-discharge MRSA or post-discharge MRSA. The patient population was derived from 27 acute-care hospitals in Orange County, Calif., from 2002-2007. Using those diagnostic codes, the researchers then assessed the impact of including post-discharge MRSA rates in calculating total hospital-onset MRSA incidence and hospital rankings.
Their analysis showed patients with short hospital stays were more likely to experience post-discharge MRSA. In addition, they found that including post-discharge MRSA rates tripled the median hospital-onset MRSA incidence rate, from 12.2 to 35.7 cases per 10,000 at-risk admissions. Consequently, hospital rankings were affected significantly.
Related Articles on MRSA:
4 Prognostic Variables Determined to be Risk Factors for MRSA
California Health Department Releases Six Reports on Healthcare-Acquired Infections
Polymerase Chain Reaction Testing for MRSA More Effective Than Chromogenic Agar
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