Hannah R. Day

Frequent Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Contamination of Gloves, Gowns, and Hands of Healthcare Workers

BACKGROUND Multidrug-resistant (MDR) gram-negative bacilli are important nosocomial pathogens. OBJECTIVE To determine the incidence of transmission of MDR Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa from patients to healthcare workers (HCWs) during routine patient care. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING Medical and surgical intensive care units. Methods. We observed HCWs who entered the rooms of patients colonized with MDR A. baumannii or colonized with both MDR A. baumannii and MDR P. aeruginosa. We examined their hands before room entry, their disposable gloves and/or gowns upon completion of patient care, and their hands after removal of gloves and/or gowns and before hand hygiene. RESULTS Sixty-five interactions occurred with patients colonized with MDR A. baumannii and 134 with patients colonized with both MDR A. baumannii and MDR P. aeruginosa. Of 199 interactions between HCWs and patients colonized with MDR A. baumannii, 77 (38.7% [95% confidence interval {CI}, 31.9%-45.5%]) resulted in HCW contamination of gloves and/or gowns, and 9 (4.5% [95% CI, 1.6%-7.4%]) resulted in contamination of HCW hands after glove removal before hand hygiene. Of 134 interactions with patients colonized with MDR P. aeruginosa, 11 (8.2% [95% CI, 3.6%-12.9%]) resulted in HCW contamination of gloves and/or gowns, and 1 resulted in HCW contamination of hands. Independent risk factors for contamination with MDR A. baumannii were manipulation of wound dressing (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 25.9 [95% CI, 3.1-208.8]), manipulation of artificial airway (aOR, 2.1 [95% CI, 1.1-4.0]), time in room longer than 5 minutes (aOR, 4.3 [95% CI, 2.0-9.1]), being a physician or nurse practitioner (aOR, 7.4 [95% CI, 1.6-35.2]), and being a nurse (aOR, 2.3 [95% CI, 1.1-4.8]). CONCLUSIONS Gowns, gloves, and unwashed hands of HCWs were frequently contaminated with MDR A. baumannii. MDR A. baumannii appears to be more easily transmitted than MDR P. aeruginosa and perhaps more easily transmitted than previously studied methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus. This ease of transmission may help explain the emergence of MDR A. baumannii.

Effects of Contact Precautions on Patient Perception of Care and Satisfaction: A Prospective Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE Contact precautions decrease healthcare worker-patient contact and may impact patient satisfaction. To determine the association between contact precautions and patient satisfaction, we used a standardized interview for perceived issues with care. DESIGN Prospective cohort study of inpatients, evaluated at admission and on hospital days 3, 7, and 14 (until discharged). At each point, patients underwent a standardized interview to identify perceived problems with care. After discharge, the standardized interview and Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey were administered by telephone. Responses were recorded, transcribed, and coded by 2 physician reviewers. PARTICIPANTS A total of 528 medical or surgical patients not admitted to the intensive care unit. RESULTS A total of 528 patients were included in the primary analysis, of whom 104 (20%) perceived some issue with their care. On multivariable logistic regression, contact precautions were independently associated with a greater number of perceived concerns with care (odds ratio, 2.05 [95% confidence interval, 1.31-3.21]; P < .01), including poor coordination of care (P = .02) and a lack of respect for patient needs and preferences (P = .001). Eighty-eight patients were included in the secondary analysis of HCAHPS. Patients under contact precautions did not have different HCAHPS scores than those not under contact precautions (odds ratio, 1.79 [95% confidence interval, 0.64-5.00]; P = .27). CONCLUSIONS Patients under contact precautions were more likely to perceive problems with their care, especially poor coordination of care and a lack of respect for patient preferences.

Improving efficiency in active surveillance for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus at hospital admission.

OBJECTIVE Mandatory active surveillance culturing of all patients admitted to Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals carries substantial economic costs. Clinical prediction rules have been used elsewhere to identify patients at high risk of colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). We aimed to derive and evaluate the clinical efficacy of prediction rules for MRSA and VRE colonization in a VA hospital. Design and setting.  Prospective cohort of adult inpatients admitted to the medical and surgical wards of a 119-bed tertiary care VA hospital. METHODS Within 48 hours after admission, patients gave consent, completed a 44-item risk factor questionnaire, and provided nasal culture samples for MRSA testing. A subset provided perirectal culture samples for VRE testing. RESULTS Of 598 patients enrolled from August 30, 2007, through October 30, 2009, 585 provided nares samples and 239 provided perirectal samples. The prevalence of MRSA was 10.4% (61 of 585) (15.0% in patients with and 5.6% in patients without electronic medical record (EMR)-documented antibiotic use during the past year; P < .01). The prevalence of VRE was 6.3% (15 of 239) (11.3% in patients with and 0.9% in patients without EMR-documented antibiotic use; P < .01). The use of EMR-documented antibiotic use during the past year as the predictive rule for screening identified 242.8 (84%) of 290.6 subsequent days of exposure to MRSA and 60.0 (98%) of 61.0 subsequent days of exposure to VRE, respectively. EMR documentation of antibiotic use during the past year identified 301 (51%) of 585 patients as high-risk patients for whom additional testing with active surveillance culturing would be appropriate. CONCLUSIONS EMR documentation of antibiotic use during the year prior to admission identifies most MRSA and nearly all VRE transmission risk with surveillance culture sampling of only 51% of patients. This approach has substantial cost savings compared with the practice of universal active surveillance.

Do contact precautions cause depression? A two-year study at a tertiary care medical centre ☆

Contact precautions, used to reduce the transmission of infectious diseases, include the wearing of gowns and gloves for room entry. Previous small studies have shown an association between contact precautions and increased symptoms of depression and anxiety. A retrospective cohort of all patients admitted to a tertiary care centre over two years was studied to assess the relationship between contact precautions and depression or anxiety. During the two-year period, there were 70,275 admissions including 28,564 unique non-intensive-care-unit (ICU), non-psychiatric admissions. After adjusting for potential confounders, contact precautions were associated with depression [odds ratio (OR) 1.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-1.5] but not with anxiety (OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.7-1.1) in the non-ICU population. Depression was 40% more prevalent among general inpatients on contact precautions.

Depression, Anxiety, and Moods of Hospitalized Patients under Contact Precautions

OBJECTIVE To determine the association between contact precautions and depression or anxiety as well as feelings of anger, sadness, worry, happiness, or confusion. DESIGN Prospective frequency-matched cohort study. SETTING The University of Maryland Medical Center, a 662-bed tertiary care hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. PARTICIPANTS A total of 1,876 medical and surgical patients over the age of 18 years were approached; 528 patients were enrolled from January through November 2010, and 296 patients, frequency matched by hospital unit, completed follow-up on hospital day 3. RESULTS The primary outcome was Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores on hospital day 3, controlling for baseline HADS scores. Secondary moods were measured with visual analog mood scale diaries. Patients under contact precautions had baseline symptoms of depression 1.3 points higher (P<.01) and anxiety 0.8 points higher (P=.08) at hospital admission using HADS. Exposure to contact precautions was not associated with increased depression (P=.42) or anxiety (P=.25) on hospital day 3. On hospital day 3, patients under contact precautions were no more likely than unexposed patients to be angry (20% vs 20%; P=.99), sad (33% vs 38%; P=.45), worried (51% vs 46%; P=.41), happy (58% vs 67%; P=.14), or confused (23% vs 24%; P=.95). CONCLUSIONS Patients under contact precautions have more symptoms of depression and anxiety at hospital admission but do not appear to be more likely to develop depression, anxiety, or negative moods while under contact precautions. The use of contact precautions should not be restricted by the belief that contact precautions will produce more depression or anxiety.

The Impact of Contact Isolation on the Quality of Inpatient Hospital Care

Background Contact Isolation is a common hospital infection prevention method that may improve infectious outcomes but may also hinder healthcare delivery. Methods To evaluate the impact of Contact Isolation on compliance with individual and composite process of care quality measures, we formed four retrospective diagnosis-based cohorts from a 662-bed tertiary-care medical center. Each cohort contained patients evaluated for one of four Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare process measures including Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI), Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), Pneumonia (PNA) and Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) from January 1, 2007 through May 30, 2009. Results The 6716-admission cohort included 1259 with AMI, 834 with CHF, 1377 with PNA and 3246 in SCIP. Contact Isolation was associated with not meeting 4 of 23 individual hospital measures (4 of 10 measures were not met for care provided while patients are typically isolated). Contact Isolation was independently associated with lower compliance with the composite pneumonia process-of-care measure (OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.1–0.7). AMI, CHF and SCIP composite measures were not impacted by Contact Isolation. Conclusions Contact Isolation was associated with lower adherence to some pneumonia quality of care process measures of care on inpatient wards but did not impact CHF, AMI or SCIP measures.

Serious Mental Illness and Acute Hospital Readmission in Diabetic Patients

Patients with serious mental illness (SMI), particularly those with other chronic illnesses, may be vulnerable to unplanned hospital readmission. The authors hypothesized that SMI would be associated with increased 30-day hospital readmission in a cohort of adult patients with comorbid diabetes admitted to a tertiary care facility from 2005 to 2009. SMI was defined by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, discharge diagnosis codes for schizophrenia, schizoaffective, bipolar, manic, or major depressive disorders, or other psychosis. The primary outcome was 30-day readmission to the index hospital. Among 26 878 eligible admissions, the prevalence of SMI was 6% and the incidence of 30-day hospital admission was 16%. Among patients aged <35 years, SMI was significantly associated with decreased odds of 30-day hospital readmission (odds ratio [OR] = 0.39; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.17, 0.91). However, among patients ≥35 years, SMI was not significantly associated with 30-day hospital readmission (OR = 1.11; 95% CI = 0.86, 1.42). SMI may not be associated with increased odds of 30-day hospital readmission in this population.

Association between depression and contact precautions in veterans at hospital admission.

Contact Precautions (CP) have been associated with depression and anxiety. We enrolled 103 patients on admission to a VA hospital and administered the Hospital Depression and Anxiety Scale (HADS). The mean unadjusted HADS score was 10% higher in patients on CP (14.3 vs 13.0; P = .47), and the association was stronger after adjusting for other variables (mean difference, 2.2; P = .21). Although underpowered, in the largest study to date, patients on CP tended toward more depression and anxiety.

The Effect of Contact Precautions on Frequency of Hospital Adverse Events.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether use of contact precautions on hospital ward patients is associated with patient adverse events DESIGN Individually matched prospective cohort study SETTING The University of Maryland Medical Center, a tertiary care hospital in Baltimore, Maryland METHODS A total of 296 medical or surgical inpatients admitted to non-intensive care unit hospital wards were enrolled at admission from January to November 2010. Patients on contact precautions were individually matched by hospital unit after an initial 3-day length of stay to patients not on contact precautions. Adverse events were detected by physician chart review and categorized as noninfectious, preventable and severe noninfectious, and infectious adverse events during the patients stay using the standardized Institute for Healthcare Improvements Global Trigger Tool. RESULTS The cohort of 148 patients on contact precautions at admission was matched with a cohort of 148 patients not on contact precautions. Of the total 296 subjects, 104 (35.1%) experienced at least 1 adverse event during their hospital stay. Contact precautions were associated with fewer noninfectious adverse events (rate ratio [RtR], 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51-0.95; P=.02) and although not statistically significant, with fewer severe adverse events (RtR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.46-1.03; P=.07). Preventable adverse events did not significantly differ between patients on contact precautions and patients not on contact precautions (RtR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.59-1.24; P=.41). CONCLUSIONS Hospital ward patients on contact precautions were less likely to experience noninfectious adverse events during their hospital stay than patients not on contact precautions.

Association between Contact Precautions and Delirium at a Tertiary Care Center

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between contact precautions and delirium among inpatients, adjusting for other factors. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING A 662-bed tertiary care center. PATIENTS All nonpyschiatric adult patients admitted to a tertiary care center from 2007 through 2009. METHODS Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate the association between contact precautions and delirium in a retrospective cohort of 2 years of admissions to a tertiary care center. RESULTS During the 2-year period, 60,151 admissions occurred in 45,266 unique nonpsychiatric patients. After adjusting for comorbid conditions, age, sex, intensive care unit status, and length of hospitalization, contact precautions were significantly associated with delirium (as defined by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision), medication, or restraint exposure (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.40 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.24-1.51]). The association between contact precautions and delirium was seen only in patients who were newly placed under contact precautions during the course of their stay (adjusted OR, 1.75 [95% CI, 1.60-1.92]; P < .01) and was not seen in patients who were already under contact precautions at admission (adjusted OR, 0.97 [95% CI, 0.86-1.09]; P = .06). CONCLUSIONS Although delirium was more common in patients who were newly placed under contact precautions during the course of their hospital admission, delirium was not associated with contact precautions started at hospital admission. Patients newly placed under contact precautions after admission but during hospitalization appear to be at a higher risk and may benefit from proven delirium-prevention strategies.