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Elliott TM, Hurst C, Doidge M, et al. Unexpected benefit of COVID-19 hospital restrictions: Reduction in patients isolating with multidrug resistant organisms after restrictions were lifted. Infect Dis Health. 2021;doi: 10.1016/j.idh.2021.08.001.
Elliott, T. M., Hurst, C., Doidge, M., Hurst, T., Harris, P. N., & Gordon, L. G. (2021). Unexpected benefit of COVID-19 hospital restrictions: Reduction in patients isolating with multidrug resistant organisms after restrictions were lifted. Infection, disease & health, . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idh.2021.08.001
Elliott, Thomas M, et al. "Unexpected benefit of COVID-19 hospital restrictions: Reduction in patients isolating with multidrug resistant organisms after restrictions were lifted." Infection, disease & health vol. (2021). doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idh.2021.08.001
Elliott TM, Hurst C, Doidge M, Hurst T, Harris PN, Gordon LG. Unexpected benefit of COVID-19 hospital restrictions: Reduction in patients isolating with multidrug resistant organisms after restrictions were lifted. Infect Dis Health. 2021 Aug 18; doi: 10.1016/j.idh.2021.08.001. Epub 2021 Aug 18. PMID: 34507923; PMCID: PMC8372517.
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Infect Dis Health. 2021 Aug 18; doi: 10.1016/j.idh.2021.08.001. Epub 2021 Aug 18.

Unexpected benefit of COVID-19 hospital restrictions: Reduction in patients isolating with multidrug resistant organisms after restrictions were lifted.

Infection, disease & health

Thomas M Elliott, Cameron Hurst, Michelle Doidge, Trish Hurst, Patrick Na Harris, Louisa G Gordon

Affiliations

  1. QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, 300 Herston Rd, Herston, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia. Electronic address: [email protected].
  2. QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, 300 Herston Rd, Herston, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia.
  3. Infectious Diseases Unit, Royal Brisbane and Womens' Hospital, Herston, Brisbane, QLD 4029, Australia.
  4. Infectious Diseases Unit, Royal Brisbane and Womens' Hospital, Herston, Brisbane, QLD 4029, Australia; The University of Queensland, Centre for Clinical Research, Herston, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia.
  5. The University of Queensland, Centre for Clinical Research, Herston, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia; Central Microbiology, Pathology Queensland, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, Brisbane, QLD 4029, Australia.
  6. QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, 300 Herston Rd, Herston, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia; The University of Queensland, School of Public Health, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia; Queensland University of Technology, School of Nursing, Kelvin Grove, Brisbane, QLD 4059, Australia. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/@louisagord.

PMID: 34507923 PMCID: PMC8372517 DOI: 10.1016/j.idh.2021.08.001

Abstract

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, measures to prevent microorganism transmission were implemented across hospitals, including wearing compulsory surgical masks, minimising non-urgent procedures and restricting visitors. Previously, concerns have been raised that MRO-associated deaths could rise during a future pandemic through superimposed bacterial infections, inappropriate antibiotic use and reduced focus on preventing MRO infections.

METHODS: In the state of Queensland, Australia with a population of 5 million, only a short first wave of coronavirus cases occurred and restrictions were quickly scaled back. This presented a natural experiment of pre-, during and post-COVID-19 restriction timings to evaluate the effectiveness of heightened prevention measures on multidrug resistant organism (MRO) infections. Patient isolation days and MRO types were collected weekly from routine infection control reports, at a large public hospital, from 28th January 2020 to 24th July 2020. In this interrupted time series design, we employed Poisson mixed effect regression modelling to evaluate the difference in incidence of patient isolation days between time periods.

RESULTS: Compared to pre-COVID, patient isolation days reduced during COVID restrictions (incidence rate ratio 0.65, 95%CI: 0.59, 0.70; p < 0.001) and increased again post-COVID restrictions, but did not return to pre-COVID levels (0.87, 95%CI: 0.80, 0.95; p = 0.001). The efficiency of isolating patients improved after COVID-19 with fewer bed closures required.

CONCLUSION: Heightened infection control awareness, hand sanitation and mask wearing after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted appear to effectively prevent common hospital-acquired MRO infections.

Copyright © 2021 Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: COVID-19; Interrupted time series analysis; Multidrug resistant organism

References

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