The impact of discontinuing contact precautions for multidrug resistant organisms at a less than 400-bed level II teaching hospital and a community hospital: A 3-month pilot study

Background: The impact of discontinuing contact precautions (CPs) for patients with select multidrug-resistant organisms on bacteremia infection rates was evaluated in this quality improvement project. Methods: The removal of use of CPs, with increased focus on standard precautions, for all patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) colonization/infection was piloted via a quality improvement project over a 3-month period. Results: CP was discontinued in December 2018. Comparing 3 months pre- and postchange, the overall incidence density rate decreased for hospital-onset (HO) laboratory-identified (LabID) MRSA bacteremia (0.07 vs 0.02; P = .52), whereas HO LabID VRE bacteremia rates remained the same (0.00 vs 0.00). Overall estimated financial savings, including personal protective equipment ($15,375) and staff time ($17,165), was $32,540 for the project period, with annualized estimated savings of $130,160. Conclusions: In this pilot study evaluating the discontinuance of CPs, there was no evidence of an increase in HO MRSA or VRE LabID bacteremia incidence density rates. This practice change may be safely implemented at similar health care facilities. (C) 2019 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.