Psychological outcomes of MRSA isolation in spinal cord injury rehabilitation.

Study Design: Retrospective secondary analysis with a quantitative, matched-pairs design. Patients isolated due to methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were matched with controls without MRSA infection admitted to a multi-bedded ward, based on: gender, injury level, injury severity (AIS grade), age at the time of injury and year of admission.

Objectives: Determine the implications of MRSA-related infection isolation on spinal cord injury patients' anxiety, depression, appraisals of disability, perceived manageability and pain intensity. Hypotheses predicted patients who were isolated due to MRSA during inpatient stay would demonstrate poorer psychological health outcomes at discharge in comparison with non-isolated matched controls.

Setting: National Spinal Injuries Centre, England, UK.

Methods: Secondary analyses were conducted on pre-existing data based on patients' first admission for primary rehabilitation. Psychometric scales were used to measure outcome variables. Assessments were repeated at the time of admission and discharge.

Results: Nonparametric longitudinal analyses using the nparLD package in R were conducted. Relative treatment effects demonstrated that there were no significant differences between groups across all outcome measures. There was a significant effect of time (admission vs discharge) on perceived manageability and pain intensity, indicating improved outcomes at discharge. There was no difference in the overall length of stay between the isolated and non-isolated groups.

Conclusions: Isolation experienced by rehabilitation inpatients with spinal cord injury with MRSA had no effect on a series of psychological outcomes. Engaging with rehabilitation had a positive impact in reducing pain unpleasantness and increasing perceived manageability of spinal cord injury, irrespective of infection isolation.