Making patients safer

Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010 | 2:04 a.m.

The Nevada State Health Division took a big step in the right direction by agreeing to host a statewide conference in Las Vegas Nov. 16 to examine the spread in hospitals of the lethal, drug-resistant bacteria known as MRSA, as well as its potential presence in nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities and schools.

The conference, prompted by a Sun investigation by reporters Marshall Allen and Alex Richards of hospital care in the Las Vegas Valley, is both timely and necessary. It is timely because it could encourage the Nevada Legislature next year to pass laws that would hold health care facilities accountable for the spread of MRSA, which the state health division acknowledges is preventable. And it is necessary because the gathering could help health care regulators, medical professionals, school officials and others with a stake in this problem develop strategies to reduce, if not eliminate, the bacteria.

The Sun investigation found that Las Vegas hospital patients were infected with MRSA 18,563 times from 1999 to 2009. From 2008 to 2009, the rate of infection in the valley’s hospitals rose 34 percent.

MRSA can spread when medical professionals fail to wash their hands, when patients with contagious infections are placed in rooms with uninfected patients, and when rooms are not cleaned between patient stays. All of these situations can and should be corrected.

As Julia Peek, manager of the health division’s epidemiology office, told the Sun: “We need to address it at the prevention point.”

The health division’s plan to conduct pilot projects to reduce MRSA infections is an excellent starting point. Peek said the state wants facilities to identify and implement best practices to reduce MRSA and then report back to the state on what worked well. But the division shouldn’t be alone in showing initiative on this critical issue.

We hope that everyone who can contribute expertise on how to prevent the spread of MRSA will attend the conference, which will be held at the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel. This includes representatives of all Las Vegas-area hospitals, most of whom have been unwilling to discuss the Sun’s findings.

Hospital patients, nursing home residents and others who use facilities where MRSA can spread deserve to be cared for in a clean environment. Operators of those facilities have a vested interest in maintaining patient safety, which is why their participation in this process is vital.

The Legislative Committee on Health Care reportedly is considering legislation that would clarify what hospitals are required to report regarding MRSA incidents. We believe legislators also would find this conference to be of value.

One does not have to convince Marcia Friedman that this conference is necessary. Her mother, Eleanor, died of MRSA after contracting it at a valley hospital.

She told the Sun: “Hopefully something positive will come of it and the hospitals will be open to not just hearing about it, but really improving the situation.”

We could not agree more.