Veterans Affairs Initiative to Prevent Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infections

In this report, implementation of a MRSA bundle (nasal surveillance for MRSA, contact precautions for patients with MRSA, hand hygiene, and an institutional culture change whereby infection control was everyone's responsibility) was associated with a significant decline in MRSA transmission. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are a problem in the United States 1 and elsewhere. MRSA is one of the most common causes of ventilator-associated pneumonia, bloodstream infection associated with central venous catheters, and surgical-site infections. 1 , 2 In 2001, the Veterans Affairs (VA) Pittsburgh Healthcare System began working with the Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to eliminate health care–associated MRSA infections with the use of a “MRSA bundle.” The bundle, which was based on published guidelines, comprised universal nasal surveillance for MRSA colonization, contact precautions for patients who were carriers of MRSA, hand . . .