"Bringing down the flag": removing the contact precautions label for non-hospitalized patients with prior methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection or colonization

Paul J Carson; Mallory Danford; Grace Carson; Christine Hanish; Jody Thompson; Megan Orr; Michael Traynor; Felix Roth; Dubert Guerrero

doi:10.1017/ice.2015.9

"Bringing down the flag": removing the contact precautions label for non-hospitalized patients with prior methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection or colonization

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2015 May;36(5):578-80. doi: 10.1017/ice.2015.9. Epub 2015 Jan 28.

Authors

Paul J Carson¹, Mallory Danford¹, Grace Carson², Christine Hanish², Jody Thompson², Megan Orr¹, Michael Traynor³, Felix Roth², Dubert Guerrero²

Affiliations

¹ 1North Dakota State University,Master of Public Health Program,Fargo,North Dakota.
² 2Sanford Health,Fargo,Department of Infectious Disease,Fargo,North Dakota.
³ 3University of North Dakota School of Medicine,Department of Medicine,Grand Forks,North Dakota.

PMID: 25626471
DOI: 10.1017/ice.2015.9

Abstract

A policy consensus has not been reached regarding discontinuing contact precautions in patients with a history of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We found that as many as 72% of outpatients flagged for past MRSA were no longer carriers, and a single nasal PCR test provided a reasonable negative predictive value for removing contact precautions.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Carrier State / diagnosis*
Carrier State / microbiology
Female
Humans
Male
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus*
Middle Aged
Nasal Cavity / microbiology
Outpatients / statistics & numerical data*
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Staphylococcal Infections / drug therapy
Staphylococcal Infections / microbiology
Staphylococcal Infections / prevention & control*