Alexandre R. Marra, Michael B. Edmond, Marin L. Schweizer, Grace W. Ryan, Daniel J. Diekema

Several single-center studies have suggested that eliminating contact precautions (CPs) for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) control in nonoutbreak settings has no impact on infection rates. We performed a systematic literature review and meta-analysis on the impact of discontinuing contact precautions in the acute care setting. We searched PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, and Embase through December 2016 for studies evaluating discontinuation of contact precautions for multidrug-resistant organisms. We used random-effect models to obtain pooled risk ratio estimates. Heterogeneity was evaluated with I(2) estimation and the Cochran Q statistic. Pooled risk ratios for MRSA and VRE were assessed separately. Fourteen studies met inclusion criteria and were included in the final review. Six studies discontinued CPs for both MRSA and VRE, 3 for MRSA only, 2 for VRE only, 2 for extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli, and 1 for Clostridium difficile infection. When study results were pooled, there was a trend toward reduction of MRSA infection after discontinuing CPs (pooled risk ratio, 0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.70-1.02; P = .07) and a statistically significant reduction in VRE infection (pooled risk ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.72-0.94; P = .005). Discontinuation of CPs for MRSA and VRE has not been associated with increased infection rates.