Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most invasive and deadly multi-drug resistant organisms. In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the United States each year and more than 35,000 people die as a result.¹ As a subset of antibiotic-resistant infections, MRSA incidence continues to be a serious threat, with more than 323,000 cases detected in hospitalized patients and over 10,000 deaths annually. In addition, preliminary analyses have found increases in hospital-onset resistant infections like MRSA during the COVID-19 pandemic.²
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins Medicine Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality and NORC at the University of Chicago, created the AHRQ Safety Program for MRSA Prevention to develop and implement a bundle of evidence-based infection prevention and behavioral and cultural interventions designed to measurably decrease invasive MRSA infections in intensive care units (ICUs), non-intensive care units, surgical services and long-term care facilities across the United States. Building on AHRQ’s pioneering work using Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) methods to reduce healthcare-associated infections and improve antibiotic use across multiple healthcare settings, this program aims to adapt the CUSP framework to develop and implement interventions to reduce MRSA in hospitals, surgical services, and long-term care facilities.
AHRQ is recruiting intensive care units (ICUs) and non-ICUs from hospitals with 100+ beds to join this free 18-month program, which begins in April 2022 and seeks to reduce and prevent MRSA infections. This program combines evidence-based guidance with implementation strategies to address the attitudes, beliefs, culture and barriers that often pose challenges to improving infection prevention practices. This program can help you enhance your infection prevention program and prevent MRSA infection by utilizing evidence-based MRSA prevention strategies, including decolonization, improvement of hand hygiene, use of contact precautions, and implementation of evidence-based HAI prevention bundles.
Benefits of Participation
- Reduce hospital MRSA rates
- Promote and improve infection prevention procedures
- Enhance teamwork and communication around MRSA prevention
- Improve patient safety and safety culture
Access program details and find out if your hospital qualifies to participate here.
This program is funded and guided by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and led by Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality and NORC at the University of Chicago
Sources:
- CDC. Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2019. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2019
- Srinivasan, A. Antibiotic Resistance (AR), Antibiotic Use (AU), and COVID-19. Feb. 10, 2021 https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/antibiotic-resistance-antibiotic-use-covid-19-paccarb.pdf