Private, single patient rooms in intensive care units across the board have shown a 50% decline in bacterial infections, reducing cost and improving health long-term. Infection control in hospitals is a worldwide health concern that can have a serious impact on patient morbidity, mortality and the cost of treatment.
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), C-difficile and Enterococcus (VRE) are the bacteria of most concern and even more prevalent in the ICU than elsewhere in caretaking facilities.
Staphylococcus is a group of bacteria that can cause a multitude of diseases as a result of infection of various tissues of the body. Staphylococcus is more familiarly known as Staph. Staph-related illness can range from mild and requiring no treatment to severe and potentially fatal.
In recent years, C. difficile infections have become more frequent, more severe and more difficult to treat. Each year, tens of thousands of people in the United States get sick from C. difficile, including some otherwise healthy people who aren’t hospitalized or taking antibiotics. It is estimated each case of C. difficile can cost of up to $7000 per episode.
Enterococci are among the most common antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The first vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) was found in 1986. Since that time, VRE has become a growing problem. Bacteria resistant to vancomycin are commonly also resistant to a similar antibiotic called teicoplanin, and vice versa.
To combat these bacteria, McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) has been able to demonstrate that private rooms play a key role in reducing hospital infection. The study, also states that length of stay would be shorter and this could lead to cost savings to the healthcare system.
Dana Teltsch, lead author of the study and Ph.D. candidate in the Dept. of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health at McGill comments:
“We had a valuable opportunity to examine the rates of acquisition of infection in patients during a change from multi-bed to single rooms in the ICU at the MUHC. We also observed a 10 percent reduction in the length of stay in the ICU after changing to private rooms. These findings provide a basis of comparison of the savings versus the costs to the healthcare system on top of the health benefits to patients.”
Single-patient rooms have long been considered to provide patients with better protection from hospital infections. Natural light, a comfortable family area, and a private bathroom contributes to the healing of both body and mind. Apart from limiting the spread of infections, single-patient rooms ensure privacy and confidentiality, give patients a sense of control and provide enough space for medical equipment to be wheeled in beside beds, meaning that patients can stay in their rooms for routine exams, treatments or tests.
Dr. David Buckeridge, senior author and Associate Professor in the Dept. of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health at McGill adds:
“Private rooms can help our patients avoid infections and also aid the healthcare system as a whole in decreasing length of stay associated with hospital-acquired infections. We did not measure all of the costs and benefits of private rooms in our study, but they are an investment that, once built, should continue to provide substantial benefit.”
Dr. Vivian Loo, Chief of Microbiology at the MUHC and Associate Professor in McGill’s Department of Medicine and co-author of the study concludes:
“This study is the first evaluation of the full range of the benefits of private rooms in an ICU environment and highlights the important role that physical infrastructure plays in the prevention of transmission of healthcare associated pathogens. Of course, other factors are also important in preventing transmission, like hand hygiene, isolation precautions, antibiotic stewardship and housekeeping practices, but this study clearly demonstrates the crucial need for private rooms, particularly for this patient population.”
Source: McGill University Heath Centre