Impact of the reinforcement of a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus control programme: a 3-year evaluation by several indicators in a French university hospital.

Our objective was to evaluate the impact of the reinforcement of a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) control programme and to assess the impact of risk adjustment on the interpretation of data. A stepwise, retrospective analysis of 3-year prospectively collected data was performed in a 600-bed French teaching hospital in the Parisian area. A reinforcement of a pre-existing programme for limiting the spread of MRSA was implemented in 2002 and 2003 by increasing the frequency of the feedback of surveillance data, by using alcohol-based disinfectants, and by increasing patient screening.