Modelling the effect of interventions to prevent MRSA transmission within hospitals in Edmonton, Canada
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; Corresponding author.
- 2Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- 3Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; Centre for Health Informatics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; Department of Computing and Software, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
- 4Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Canada; Infection Prevention and Control, Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, Canada
- 5Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; Infection Prevention and Control, Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, Canada
Abstract
Hospitalized patients are particularly susceptible to infections brought on by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and these infections usually have a high morbidity and mortality rate. Several strategies can help prevent MRSA from spreading, but the efficacy of each strategy remains unclear, as most past research evaluated multiple interventions together rather than examining each one individually. To assess the effects of hand hygiene and screening, we created a novel compartmental MRSA spread framework for healthcare facilities in Edmonton, Alberta. The model accounts for MRSA patients (hospital-acquired (HA) MRSA or community-acquired (CA) MRSA colonization or infections) and isolated patients. To examine the effects of interventions, we first estimated the posterior mean of the parameters in our model, as well as a sub-model of it, using a Bayesian framework with Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques, utilizing data from hospitals in Edmonton. Next, we incorporated different intervention rates into the model to ascertain their effect on colonized and infected patients. One intervention is practicing hand hygiene among healthcare workers in hospitals to reduce transmission rates between susceptible individuals and MRSA patients. The other intervention is to screen patients for MRSA colonization to place them in isolation rooms swiftly. The two interventions were first examined alone, and then simultaneously. We compared the overall number of HA-MRSA colonization and infections as the intervention rates varied, and the findings show that combined interventions are more effective than individual interventions at limiting MRSA transmission in hospitals.
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BibTeX
@article{li2026modelling,
title = {{Modelling the effect of interventions to prevent MRSA transmission within hospitals in Edmonton, Canada}},
author = {Ruoyu Li and Rob Deardon and Na Li and John Conly and Jenine Leal},
journal = {Infectious Disease Modelling},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.idm.2026.08.004},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idm.2026.08.004},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Modelling the effect of interventions to prevent MRSA transmission within hospitals in Edmonton, Canada
AU - Ruoyu Li
AU - Rob Deardon
AU - Na Li
AU - John Conly
AU - Jenine Leal
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/19
JO - Infectious Disease Modelling
DO - 10.1016/j.idm.2026.08.004
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idm.2026.08.004
AB - Hospitalized patients are particularly susceptible to infections brought on by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and these infections usually have a high morbidity and mortality rate. Several strategies can help prevent MRSA from spreading, but the efficacy of each strategy remains unclear, as most past research evaluated multiple interventions together rather than examining each one individually. To assess the effects of hand hygiene and screening, we created a novel compartmental MRSA spread framework for healthcare facilities in Edmonton, Alberta. The model accounts for MRSA patients (hospital-acquired (HA) MRSA or community-acquired (CA) MRSA colonization or infections) and isolated patients. To examine the effects of interventions, we first estimated the posterior mean of the parameters in our model, as well as a sub-model of it, using a Bayesian framework with Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques, utilizing data from hospitals in Edmonton. Next, we incorporated different intervention rates into the model to ascertain their effect on colonized and infected patients. One intervention is practicing hand hygiene among healthcare workers in hospitals to reduce transmission rates between susceptible individuals and MRSA patients. The other intervention is to screen patients for MRSA colonization to place them in isolation rooms swiftly. The two interventions were first examined alone, and then simultaneously. We compared the overall number of HA-MRSA colonization and infections as the intervention rates varied, and the findings show that combined interventions are more effective than individual interventions at limiting MRSA transmission in hospitals.
SN - 2468-0427
SN - 2468-2152
ER -