The Advantages of Single-Room Management in an ICU and the Changing Trend of Drug-Resistant Bacteria over the Last 5 Years

Objective We reviewed the benefits of an all-single-room intensive care unit in the prevention of hospital-acquired infection. Method The intensive care medicine department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College commenced single-room management in 2019. This study reviewed the prevalence of pathogenic bacterial infection and altered drug resistance of major pathogens in patients hospitalized from January 2016 to December 2020. Results of bacterial resistance and changes in bacterial numbers were analyzed separately and the two time periods compared. Results In 2016, 320 strains of pathogenic bacteria were identified compared with 601 in 2020. At both times, bacteria were predominantly gram-negative. The ratio of the number of pathogenic bacteria to the number of beds revealed a decreasing trend each year from 2016–2020: 22.86, 17.57, 28.36, 14.33, and 15.41 respectively (P < 0.05). The top five Gram-negative bacteria were Acinetobacter baumannii , Klebsiella pneumoniae , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Escherichia coli , and Burkholderia cepacia . The source of bacteria was mainly sputum, followed by blood, and the site of infection was predominantly the respiratory tract. Staphylococcus aureus resistant to ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and erythromycin had decreased significantly (P < 0.05). Among the multi-drug resistant bacteria detected, only penicillin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and penicillin-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa decreased after the introduction of single-room wards (P = 0.025, P = 0.002 respectively). Conclusion Introduction of a single-room ward directly or indirectly reduced the possibility of cross-infection. The establishment of single-room wards has no adverse effects and was beneficial to patients, the department and the hospital.