Monthly Archives: July 2013

MDRO Screening: Part III: Remaining Objective

Confessions of a Microbiologist

It is all too easy to start an MDRO screening programme and then let it wander along aimlessly. In contrast to plate reading in bacteriology where there is a lot of subjectivity and “feel” for the area, MDRO screening is an area which requires a lot of objectivity.

MDRO screening needs a lot of support work which should include the following objective measurements:

  •  Number of MDRO screens performed and from where.
  •  Number of MDRO isolates and MDRO rates as a percentage of total screens performed.
  •  Trend in MDRO rates in the form of Statistical Process Control Charts. (SPC)
  •  Cost of screening programme.
  •  Number of MDRO infections in the institution and the cost of the infections compared to the cost of the screening programme.

Close liaison between the laboratory and Infection Control and good data collection software are key in achieving this objectivity.

I will touch on “targeted screening” in the next part of this mini-series.

See also:

Michael

p.s. For an update on our move to Paris click on this link

Travel update

Confessions of a Microbiologist

Just to let you know we have completed the long haul flight from New Zealand to Scotland with the 4 children, 2 cats and about 12 suitcases.

Off to Paris today to try and find an apartment to live in.

I will endeavour to try and start posting microbiology articles on this website again next week, once we get ourselves sorted.

To be honest microbiology has been the furthest thing from my mind during this transition period. But looking forward to getting back into it when time allows.

Michael

“MDRO screening: Part II: Once you’ve started you just can’t stop….”

The Science of Microbiology,

superbugs

I believe there should be three main reasons for doing MDRO screening, be it for MRSA, ESBLs, VRE etc etc.

  • To try and reduce clinical impact from MDROs.
  • To try and reduce total numbers of MDROs.
  • To try and stop an MDRO becoming established in an institution.

However my personal experience is that MDRO screening is started for a variety of other different reasons…. e.g. because everyone else is doing it, because the government or laboratory CEO has ordered it, because there has been a recent “superbug” article in the media, the infection control team reports a “cluster” of MDRO isolates…. etc etc

Whatever the reasons, I would advise that the decision to commence an MDRO screening program not be taken lightly, because once you have started screening, it is notoriously difficult to stop. It is also incredibly expensive.

I can just see the headlines now: “Laboratory stops looking for Superbugs in their Local Hospital”!

Michael

p.s. I will look at monitoring of MDROs in the next article of this mini-series.