Other Healthcare Associated Infections Measures



Related Measures

MRSA Incidence

What are we measuring and why?

MGH has been tracking the rate of new hospital-acquired cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, which is a bacterium with high resistance to most antibiotics. Vulnerable patients include older adults; people with weakened immune systems, burns, surgical wounds, or serious underlying health problems; people with some kind of invasive device; and people who have recently had antibiotics administered.  The infection can vary depending on where the bacteria is harbored by the patient. And there are measures that health care providers and staff can take to reduce the transmission and prevent the complications associated with infection.

How are we doing and how do we compare to best practice?

Since we began tracking our performance on this measure, MGH has seen some improvements in the rate of new infections: from 84 patients (1.21 per thousand patient days) in the fourth quarter of 2005, to 39 patients (0.50 per thousand patient days) in the fourth quarter of 2015. There are no national targets or benchmarks for this safety measure; however, MGH’s goal is to achieve sustained reductions in the number of new cases each year.

  • Current Scores
  • Scores Over Time
  • Lower values are better
0.36% 0.5%

MGH Source: MGH Infection Control data
Comparison Group Source: MGH Infection Control data

Oct-Dec 2015 data.

0.31% 0.29% 0.39% 0.45% 0.29% 0.5% 0.34% 0.21% 0.39% 0.39% 0.39% 0.39% 0.36% 0.36% 0.36% 0.36%

MGH Source: MGH Infection Control data
Comparison Group Source: MGH Infection Control data



What are we doing to improve?

MGH has seen a drop in new cases of MRSA as we have ramped up the Hand Hygiene efforts hospital-wide.  We certainly feel that these two are related. There are a number of other infection control practices that are also contributing to the overall success of the effort.  These include:

  • Surveillance systems to track bacterial outbreaks
  • Isolation of infected patients and use of protective garments and other precaution techniques

What can you do?

Patients and their families can help protect themselves from MRSA and other hospital-acquired infections by being vigilant.

Before you let anyone touch a family member, ask them whether they have cleaned their hands. Don’t be shy about it; it’s your health that is at stake.

 

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