Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are among the most common complications of hospital or long-term care stays. HAI data reported to the Veterans Affairs centralized database was analyzed to determine rates of several HAIs, both before and during the pandemic, to assess changes. Rates were variable in acute care and no changes were seen in long-term care.

This retrospective study demonstrated declines in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus health care–associated infections between 2007–2015. Researchers attribute these results to implementation of the Veterans Affairs MRSA Prevention Initiative. These findings underscore the success of patient safety practices in reducing health care–associated infections.

… methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) remains a difficult problem, as studies of prevention techniques have … implemented in the Veterans Affairs system found that a multifaceted approach including universal screening , … can be devastating—as vividly described in this AHRQ WebM&M commentary . …