Added values of the MRSA-net project

Benefit through cooperation

The establishment of the network for EUREGIO MRSA-net is the urgently needed answer to the situation that each hospital tries for itself to get the MRSA problem under control. Because of the emergence of CA-MRSA out-patient departments, nursing homes and general practitioners should be included into the MRSA-control program. By using a modern typing-technology regional and cross-border early-warning systems can be established in order to detect special dangers as local or regional outbreaks or the identification of special clones as the community-acquired CA-MRSA.

An advantage of this network is the transparency outside the borders of this EUREGIO, as 20 other countries are able to view this information. Experiences and awareness with leading experts and expert organizations in and outside the EUREGIO on an ongoing basis is nowadays already in place. Herewith again the ideology within this project is underlined that the quality of MRSA protocols depends on the cross border MRSA typing. The constant gained scientific outcome is a condition for optimizing the MRSA protocols and adjust them to a workable and for each group tailor made (for instance for employees and patients) cross border manual.

Benefit through focussing and standardisation

The infection control measures can be established at an early stage and focused on the hot-spots. The standardisation of the infection control- and eradication- program together with the focused infectious disease competence of the whole region, the MRSA prevalence can be brought to the Dutch level on both sides of the border.
In the current situation each country and therefore institute uses its own terminology for MRSA types. The Institute for Hygiene already started an initiative (SeqNet.org) that connects 20 European countries in order to use a standardisation of terminology for MRSA type and therefore speak the same laboratory language throughout Europe. This is only possible because of the research work done before and was not possible on such a broad scale with the up to date used technologies (e.g. PFGE, MLST).

The whole EUREGIO will establish an early-warning system to detect outbreaks and the introduction of community-acquired CA-MRSA in the EUREGIO at an early stage. The whole EUREGIO will also profit from a centralised knowledge centre from where up to data protocols of high comprehensibility, applicability and acceptability for the treatment and eradication of MRSA can be easily obtained. This knowledge centre also provides the opportunity for direct consultations for difficult problems.

Benefit through better quality in health care services

The reduction of the MRSA prevalence within the population will decrease the infection rate with multiresistant micro-organisms that are associated with morbidity and mortality rates. Cost of therapy will be lower and especially time of stay in hospital will be reduced. In addition, the quality of health care will be improved, if through a low prevalence of MRSA all obligatory infection control and hygienic measure will not be necessary (e.g. unused bed in isolation room). The EUREGIO would come into a clear advantage of location for health and socio-economic reasons. The EUREGIO Twente/Münsterland suites especially for such a network. As the EUREGIO stands relatively isolated with clear health care structures concentration around two major tertiary medical centers in Münster and Enschede, the MRSA-net project offers the possibility for a border-crossing transfer of know-how and technology. The Dutch partner will benefit from the reduction of the MRSA-rate at the German side so that the continuous import of MRSA could be decreased.

Cross border benefits

The successful policy for keeping the MRSA rates in the Netherlands so extremely low will be implemented as far as possible in Germany, so that the EUREGIO will benefit from this directly. The danger of MRSA-influx into the Netherlands which consist because of the considerable difference in MRSA rates on each side of the EUREGIO border constitutes a possible barrier for the free movement of persons in form of patients, medical employees and medical students. By lowering the high MRSA-rate in Germany by means of cooperation and exchange of all information between the two leading hygiene institutes in the EUREGIO, this project can help to decline the barrier for the free movement of persons and help to realize a goal of the EU. This goal is particularly interesting for the EUREGIO Twente/Münsterland because of the estimated shortages of 20% of health care employees already in 2005 in the Region Twente on the one hand and on the other hand a growing unemployment rate in Münsterland in the health care sector. This benefit is most obvious in case of a nosocomial MRSA-influx but is also indirectly applicable in case of the CA-MRSA-influx, taking into account that approximately 50% of the MRSA in the Netherlands are CA-MRSA and spread by all kinds off cross border traffic.

Shared benefits

By examining the whole ambulant (care) and stationary (cure) system, the competences and understanding gained during the 3 years by this project can directly serve as a best practice for other EUREGIOs. Examination of an existing cross border MRSA approach taught that there is no structured cooperation in this, apart from an ad hoc basis. Attuning to transparent MRSA policy whereas MRSA is identified and destroyed in time, will lead to structured numerous advantages where this EUREGIO can benefit from in length of days. In addition the exchange of knowledge can lead to a benefit for the other EUREGIOs.