Staff exchange within and between nursing homes in The Netherlands and potential implications for MRSA transmission.

ABSTRACT: A recent countrywide MRSA spa-type 1081 outbreak in The Netherlands predominantly affected nursing homes, generating questions on how infection spreads within and between nursing homes despite a low national prevalence. Since the transfer of residents between nursing homes is uncommon in The Netherlands, we hypothesized that staff exchange plays an important role in transmission. This exploratory study investigated the extent of former (last 2 years) and current staff exchange within and between nursing homes in The Netherlands. We relied on a questionnaire that was targeted towards nursing-home staff members who had contact with residents. We found that 17·9% and 12·4% of the nursing-home staff formerly (last 2 years) or currently worked in other healthcare institutes besides their job in

SUBMITTER: VAN Gaalen RD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5426333 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature