Bed occupancy, turnover interval and MRSA rates in Northern Ireland

The data describe bed turnover intervals (TI), bed percentage occupancy (PO) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) rates per 1000 bed days of patient episodes. It was collected from annual hospital statistics in Northern Ireland (NI) and from the Communicable Diseases Surveillance Centre (CDSC) NI. The descriptive data show 6 of the general 11 surgical Trusts, out of a total of 12 Trusts examined, had PO greater than 85%; and all 11 medical facilities in these Trusts had occupancy rates greater than 85%. A significant correlation was established between turnover interval and MRSA per 1000 bed days of patient episodes in acute services beds. The correlation of PO with MRSA rates was 0.49 (ns). The conclusions drawn from the study are that in many Trusts the rates of bed occupancy for general surgery and general medicine is in excess of national guidelines and rapid turnover of patients is related to rates of MRSA infection. The implications for nurses and managers are discussed.