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“Bringing Down the Flag”: Removing the Contact Precautions Label for Non-hospitalized Patients with Prior Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infection or Colonization

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 January 2015

Paul J. Carson ,
Mallory Danford ,
Grace Carson ,
Christine Hanish ,
Jody Thompson ,
Megan Orr ,
Michael Traynor ,
Felix Roth  and
Dubert Guerrero
Paul J. Carson*
Affiliation:
North Dakota State University, Master of Public Health Program, Fargo, North Dakota Sanford Health, Fargo, Department of Infectious Disease, Fargo, North Dakota University of North Dakota School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Mallory Danford
Affiliation:
North Dakota State University, Master of Public Health Program, Fargo, North Dakota
Grace Carson
Affiliation:
Sanford Health, Fargo, Department of Infectious Disease, Fargo, North Dakota University of North Dakota School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Christine Hanish
Affiliation:
Sanford Health, Fargo, Department of Infectious Disease, Fargo, North Dakota
Jody Thompson
Affiliation:
Sanford Health, Fargo, Department of Infectious Disease, Fargo, North Dakota
Megan Orr
Affiliation:
North Dakota State University, Master of Public Health Program, Fargo, North Dakota
Michael Traynor
Affiliation:
University of North Dakota School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Felix Roth
Affiliation:
Sanford Health, Fargo, Department of Infectious Disease, Fargo, North Dakota
Dubert Guerrero
Affiliation:
Sanford Health, Fargo, Department of Infectious Disease, Fargo, North Dakota University of North Dakota School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Grand Forks, North Dakota.
*
Address correspondence to Paul Carson, MD, FACP, North Dakota State University, P.O. Box 6050, Fargo, ND 58108-6050 (paul.carson@ndsu.edu).
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Abstract

A policy consensus has not been reached regarding discontinuing contact precautions in patients with a history of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We found that as many as 72% of outpatients flagged for past MRSA were no longer carriers, and a single nasal PCR test provided a reasonable negative predictive value for removing contact precautions.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2015;00(0): 1–3

Information

Type
Concise Communications
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 36 , Issue 5 , May 2015 , pp. 578 - 580
Copyright
© 2015 by The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. All rights reserved 

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Footnotes

PRIOR PRESENTATION. Study results were presented at the annual American Public Health Association Meeting, November, 2014, New Orleans, Louisiana.

References

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