Report: Cost of MRSA tops €23m annually

A new report to be launched today estimates that MRSA infection in Irish hospitals costs in excess of €23m annually.

The report, entitiled “Meticillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureas (MRSA) in Ireland: Addressing the Issues”, was developed by a multidisciplinary advisory group including microbiologists, hospital pharmacists and patient advocates and funded by an unrestricted educational grant from Pfizer.

The report estimates that patients who acquire an infection in hospital stayed in hospital 2.5 times longer than other patients. Most significantly, they are 7.1 times more likely than uninfected patients to die in hospital.

“The main factor contributing to the cost is the increased length of stay by patients in the hospital,” its authors said in a statement.

“Patients with a healthcare associated infection (HCAI) spend on average an additional 11 days in hospital and the attendant treatment costs also increase.”

The above cost for MRSA infection represents 10% of the total cost of additional expenditure as a result of all HCAI which is estimated at €233.75m annually.

It is estimated that approximately one third of HCAIs are preventable, therefore the potential savings from all HCAI is €77m and the potential saving from MRSA infection is €7.6m, according to the report.

“There is good evidence that the burden of MRSA infection in Ireland is greater than in most other European countries and while there are some positive indications that infection rates are declining, MRSA infection is still a major issue resulting in illness and in some cases death,” said Dr Edmond Smyth, Consultant Microbiologist, Beaumont Hospital and Chairperson of the MRSA Group.

“The many initiatives underway are to be welcomed: specifically microbiology laboratory accreditation, improved surveillance and feedback of infection rates and the appointment of additional consultant microbiologists, infection prevention and control nurses and antimicrobial pharmacists have all played a significant role,” Dr Smyth said.

“However, other measures such as early discharge and out-patient treatment present further opportunities both in terms of quality of life for patients but also in terms of cost. The evidence shows that discharging patients earlier reduces the risk of infection which would ultimately reduce illness and death rates.”

The report is to be launched today at the Royal College of Physicians.