Single-patient rooms may be linked with a reduction in the rates of new vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus infection, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Researchers examined rates of new multidrug-resistant organism colonization and healthcare-associated infections before and after a hospital move in Montréal, Canada. The move involved shifting inpatients from an older, 417-bed facility with mixed three-and four-person wards to a 350-bed facility with all private, single-patient rooms, with individual showers, toilets and easily accessible sinks. The move occurred in April 2015.
In the 36 months after the hospital move, researchers observed an immediate and sustained decrease in new VRE and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization as compared to the 27 months before the move. There was also a reduction in VRE infections, from 55 before the move to 14 after.
However, there was no decrease in Clostridioides difficile or MRSA infection rates.