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Antimicrobial Resistant Organism Admission Screening Adherence Using a Clinical Information System in a Provincial Healthcare System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 September 2025

Jenine Leal
Affiliation:
Alberta Health Services/University of Calgary
Zuying Zhang
Affiliation:
University of Calgary
Logan Armstrong
Affiliation:
Alberta Health Services
Janice Pitchko
Affiliation:
Alberta Health Services
Bonita Lee
Affiliation:
University of Alberta
Kristen Versluys
Affiliation:
Infection Prevention & Control, Alberta Health Services
Blanda Chow
Affiliation:
Infection Prevention & Control, Alberta Health Services
Jennifer Ellison
Affiliation:
Infection Prevention & Control, Alberta Health Services
Ted Pfister
Affiliation:
Infection Prevention & Control, Alberta Health Services
Samantha Woolsey
Affiliation:
University of Alberta
Geraldine St Jean
Affiliation:
University of Alberta
Stephanie Smith
Affiliation:
University of Alberta

Abstract

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Background: Targeted admission screening of high-risk patients for antimicrobial resistant organisms (AROs) is a key component of infection prevention and control. However, adherence with screening is suboptimal, risking a negligible impact on the prevention of ARO transmission. Clinical decision support tools in clinical information systems (CIS) may improve ARO screening adherence. This study evaluated the adherence of ARO admission screening using a tool in the provincial CIS in Alberta, Canada and the relationship between adherence and hospital ARO rates. Methods: A population-based, sequential cross-sectional study was completed on all admissions to acute care and acute rehabilitation facilities where ARO admission screening occurs on any unit, and where the CIS was implemented in Alberta between January 1, 2020 and March 31, 2024 (n=100). Mental health facilities/units, continuing care, newborns Results: There were 97 (97% of eligible facilities) facilities that implemented the CIS across seven launch periods included. Overall adherence ranged from 43% to 65%. After controlling for bed size and health zone, adherence decreased by the number of months each facility was active on the CIS (aIRR 0.987, 95%CI 0.986-0.987). There was no seasonality in trends. There was a negative relationship between adherence and overall MRSA infection rate (rs = -0.68) and after adjusting for bed size, health zone, and number of months active on the CIS (aIRR 0.99, 95% CI 0.986-0.994). Analysis could not be completed for CPO due to small numbers. Conclusions: While increased ARO admission screening adherence was associated with lower overall MRSA infection rates, the IRR was close to one and may not be clinically significant. With adherence decreasing over time, further work is needed to understand barriers to ARO admission screening and implement strategies to support healthcare providers in completing appropriate surveillance for AROs.

Information

Type
Surveillance
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America