Noteboom The Law Firm

VA Hospitals Reduce Spread Of Deadly Infections

Four years ago, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) started a very pointed and direct effort to eradicate the spread of deadly bacterial infections within VA hospitals. The results have been so positive, the VA's methods are now being reviewed for implication at nationwide medical centers, according to a new study.

The study lasted over 32 months and focused on the intensive care units of 153 VA hospitals. The study noted a 62% drop in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Other hospital units, such as the surgical ward, noted a 45% MRSA reduction.

The VA hospitals used multiple strategies to combat the MRSA plaguing their hospitals. As a first level approach, the hospitals used nasal swabs to screen patients so as to be able to segregate those testing positive. When treating those patients, gloves, gowns, meticulous hand washing routines, and other contact safety measures were employed.

These strategies, as employed by the VA hospitals, may or may not be able to imitated by private sector hospitals. Either way, now that it has been shown infection can be controlled, private sector hospitals will have the pressure put on them to combat their own issues with infectious disease. This is despite a new study's findings that the VA's testing of every patient coming in and leaving the facility is neither cost-effective or even necessary.

Approximately 1 in 20 patients will contract an infection while in the hospital, but the VA's results have shown a difference can be made.