Objective:

Objective: To analyse the value in screening patients admitted to our inpatient rehabilitation centre (IRC) from outside institutions by analysing results of patient screening for multiresistant organisms.
Methodology: Patients were admitted to a single room with contact transmission precautions, screened for MRSA & VRE (as per internal risk criteria), pending screening results. Data collection over 24 months was prospectively collected to determine the number of admissions to IRC colonised with either MRSA or VRE.
Results: From 11/9/2008 to 14/10/2010 147 patients were admitted to IRC who met risk criteria for screening. Including, eight patients previously identified to be colonised with a multi-resistant organism (MRO) on admission (six patients with VRE, one with MRSA, and 1 with both VRE & MRSA). 23 of the 139 remaining patients (17%) were identified by screening as colonised with an MRO (16 with VRE, 6 with MRSA, 1 with MRSA and VRE). 116 patients were unnecessarily placed in contact precautions awaiting screening results for approximately 72 hours, resulting in 348 bed days of unnecessary restrictions. The costs associated with contact precautions include; extra staff (nursing and domestic), extra cleaning, and consumables (waste bags, gloves, disposable gowns). The cost of consumables is approximately $25 per day, or $8700 for 348 bed days.
Conclusions: Low risk facilities such as IRC should consider recommendations for contact transmission precautions of patients being screened for MROs, and what cost savings could be achieved by altering both the methods of risk assessment and the types of contact precautions in use.