Christiana Care joins ICU infection study

The Surgical Critical Care Complex at Christiana Hospital is one of just 22 intensive care units nationwide chosen to participate in only the second multicenter, randomized trial in infection control. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Disease Control, The Joint Commission and a research team including Yale and the University of Maryland lead and fund the study nationwide.

Hospital epidemiologist Marci Drees, M.D., and Surgical Critical Care Complex Medical Director Gerard Fulda, M.D., lead the study at Christiana Care. The Benefits of Universal Gown and Gloving (BUGG) study aims to determine whether using gowns and gloves for all patient contacts (instead of only for patients in contact isolation for known resistant bacteria) decreases acquisition of the resistant bacteria and health care-associated infections.

The Surgical Critical Care Complex began a two-month baseline collection in August. During this time, nursing staff will obtain admission and discharge surveillance cultures for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) for all patients admitted to the unit. After the baseline period, the Surgical Critical Care Complex will be randomized to either continue usual care (gloves and gowns for patients in contact isolation only) or to universal gloves and gowning (for all patients) for 12 months.