Single-room ICUs may cut infection rates

[pockunit, ADN, RN]

Interesting.

Switching to private rooms in the intensive care unit may help reduce healthcare-associated infections, researchers found.

After a single ICU changed from multibed rooms to single rooms, the combined rate of acquisition of three common exogenous organisms -- Clostridium difficile, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus species, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) -- dropped by 54% (95% CI 29% to 70%), according to Dana Teltsch, a doctoral student at McGill University in Montreal, and colleagues.

The acquisition rate of 12 likely exogenous or exogenous/endogenous organisms fell, with reductions for six of them reaching statistical significance, the researchers reported in the Jan. 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

I imagine it would be harder to deal with multiple patients if they're in separate rooms, but if they're critical enough, perhaps they're 1:1 and it's a moot point?

[Charmander]

we take 1 - 2 patients, the rooms are paired (as much as the census allows), so sitting at one of the computers outside the room (there's 2 in a cubby with windows) you can lay eyes on each of your patients and monitors very easily. also the monitors have a feature where you can 'peek' on another room, and an actual window with an internal blind so you can lay eyes on if your in the other room (and close for privacy) works great. :)

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

I might be naive about this (I'll attribute it to being a pre-nursing student ) ... but I have only ever seen single room ICUs. I just figured that was a basic thing, that no other ICU patient be in proximity with another.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

Private rooms only in my metro area too.

...and NSS on the decreased infection rate.

[ObtundedRN, BSN, RN]

pretty much all of the rooms in all of the hospitals in my area is private only. at my hospital, the only place you'll find multi bed wards, are in pacu, dialysis, and maybe a couple of the old overflow units that are normally closed down unless census picks up a lot (and even then, they try to open the private room overflow units first).

the icus at my hospital are how charmander described.

[Revvy1337]

They are needed but what an expensive overhaul

[Christen, ANP]

haha, wow, I've never seen anything but a single room ICU setting! Maybe at lower level or older hospitals, but not at the level one and two facilities in my area.

I read that title and I totally thought "duh, of course it would!"

[JulieCVICURN, BSN, RN]

In the ICU where I work we have 4 double rooms. This is supposed to end next year when we add another ICU to our facility (we currently have two). When I'm charge, I avoid using these rooms as much as possible and sometimes get into trouble with my manager for it, but in my opinion if there's a private room available in ICU, someone should get that before they have to share a room with someone. I think shared rooms in ICU should not exist, but if they do they should be used only if absolutely necessary.