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Summary of the different phases and interventions during the study period |
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| Period |
Surgical ICU |
Medical ICU |
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| January 2003 to October 2003 (includes phase I, which started in April 2003) |
Screening and pre-emptive isolation of high-risk patients only No discharge screening Conventional culture methods |
Screening of high-risk patients only No pre-emptive isolation No discharge screening Conventional culture methods |
| November 2003 to March 2004 (phase II) |
Systematic on-admission and discharge screening policy Extension of pre-emptive isolation to all patients Rapid PCR technique for admission screening |
Systematic on-admission and discharge screening policy No pre-emptive isolation Rapid PCR technique for admission screening |
| April 2004 to August 2005 (phase III) |
Systematic on-admission and discharge screening policy General pre-emptive isolation Rapid PCR technique for admission screening |
Systematic on-admission and discharge screening policy General pre-emptive isolation Rapid PCR technique for admission screening |
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Note that contact isolation was implemented for all identified carriers of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus during the entire study period. No antibiotic restriction or hand hygiene education campaigns with systematic feedback were performed. ICU, intensive care unit | ||
Harbarth et al. Critical Care 2006 10:R25 doi:10.1186/cc3982 |
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