Simulation shows hospitals that cooperate on infection control obtain better results than hospitals acting alone.

Publisher: Project Hope Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 8303128 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1544-5208 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 02782715 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Health Aff (Millwood) Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: : Bethesda, MD : Project Hope
Original Publication: Millwood, Va. : Project Hope, c1981-

Computer Simulation* ; Hospital Shared Services* ; Hospitals*; Cross Infection/*prevention & control; California ; Humans ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus/isolation & purification ; Patient Transfer ; Staphylococcal Infections/prevention & control ; United States

Efforts to control life-threatening infections, such as with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), can be complicated when patients are transferred from one hospital to another. Using a detailed computer simulation model of all hospitals in Orange County, California, we explored the effects when combinations of hospitals tested all patients at admission for MRSA and adopted procedures to limit transmission among patients who tested positive. Called "contact isolation," these procedures specify precautions for health care workers interacting with an infected patient, such as wearing gloves and gowns. Our simulation demonstrated that each hospital's decision to test for MRSA and implement contact isolation procedures could affect the MRSA prevalence in all other hospitals. Thus, our study makes the case that further cooperation among hospitals--which is already reflected in a few limited collaborative infection control efforts under way--could help individual hospitals achieve better infection control than they could achieve on their own.

Erratum in: Health Aff (Millwood). 2012 Oct;31(10):2831.

Am J Med Qual. 2012 Jan-Feb;27(1):66-73. (PMID: 21551323)
Clin Infect Dis. 1994 Dec;19(6):1123-8. (PMID: 7888543)
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2011 Jun;32(6):562-72. (PMID: 21558768)
Clin Microbiol Infect. 2010 May;16(5):425-31. (PMID: 19689469)
Health Aff (Millwood). 2003 Sep-Oct;22(5):157-65. (PMID: 14515891)
Am J Infect Control. 2012 Apr;40(3):194-200. (PMID: 22440670)
Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2004 Jan;207(1):51-5. (PMID: 14762974)
Clin Infect Dis. 2009 Apr 1;48(7):910-3. (PMID: 19231982)
PLoS Med. 2006 Feb;3(2):e99. (PMID: 16420099)
J Clin Microbiol. 2008 Feb;46(2):835. (PMID: 18252860)
Clin Microbiol Rev. 1997 Jul;10(3):505-20. (PMID: 9227864)
J Perinatol. 2009 Sep;29(9):591-9. (PMID: 19262569)
Emerg Infect Dis. 2005 Jun;11(6):912-20. (PMID: 15963287)
Arch Surg. 2010 Oct;145(10):985-91. (PMID: 20956768)
Am J Infect Control. 2010 Oct;38(8):653-6. (PMID: 20471715)
J Healthc Manag. 2009 May-Jun;54(3):163-74; discussion 175-6. (PMID: 19554797)
Am J Infect Control. 2008 Dec;36(10):S171.e1-5. (PMID: 19084146)
Clin Infect Dis. 2007 Aug 15;45(4):475-7. (PMID: 17638197)
Int J Infect Dis. 2007 Jul;11(4):329-36. (PMID: 17320446)
Clin Infect Dis. 2001 May 15;32(10):1393-8. (PMID: 11317238)
Clin Infect Dis. 2008 Apr 15;46(8):1139-41. (PMID: 18444847)
BMC Med Res Methodol. 2011 Dec 30;11:176. (PMID: 22208721)
Am J Public Health. 2011 Apr;101(4):707-13. (PMID: 21330578)
Emerg Infect Dis. 2007 Dec;13(12):1840-6. (PMID: 18258033)
N Engl J Med. 2001 May 10;344(19):1427-33. (PMID: 11346807)
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2010 Jun;31(6):598-606. (PMID: 20402588)
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2010 Nov;31(11):1160-9. (PMID: 20874503)
Clin Infect Dis. 2009 Sep 1;49(5):743-6. (PMID: 19624274)
J Infect Dis. 2007 Feb 1;195(3):330-8. (PMID: 17205470)

1RC4A1092327-01 United States RC CCR NIH HHS; 5U54GM088491-02 United States GM NIGMS NIH HHS; U01 GM076672 United States GM NIGMS NIH HHS; 1U01GM076672 United States GM NIGMS NIH HHS; U54 GM088491 United States GM NIGMS NIH HHS; RC4 AI092327 United States AI NIAID NIH HHS

Date Created: 20121011 Date Completed: 20130314 Latest Revision: 20211021

20231215

PMC3763190

10.1377/hlthaff.2011.0992

23048111