Study: Contact precautions in VA facilities don't curb MRSA

While requiring gowns or gloves has been known to prevent the spread of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) i certain settings, a new study evaluating 75,414 patient admissions from 74 Veterans Affairs (VA) longterm care facilities found that policies requiring active surveillance and contact precautions had no impact on MRSA rates, according to an article on the Contagion Live website.

The facilities were selected for the study in part because national VA policy required obtaining a MRSA surveillance test for all residents at admission and discharge. 

This allowed an assessment of MRSA acquisition, which is typically only attainable through research studies. 

While MRSA HAIs did decline during the study period by 30%, according to investigators, this was not related to the contact precautions policy.

Read the article.