Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a strain of Staphylococcus aureus that poses significant challenges in treatment and infection control within healthcare settings. Recent research suggests that the incidence of healthcare-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA) is higher among patients treated in safety-net hospitals compared to those in non-safety-net hospitals. This study aimed to identify HA-MRSA transmission patterns across various nursing units of a safety-net hospital to improve to enhance patient outcomes and facilitate the implementation of targeted infection control measures. A retrospective analysis was conducted using surveillance data from 2019 to 2023. A compartmental disease model was applied to estimate MRSA transmission rates and basic reproduction number ([[EQUATION]]) for each nursing unit of an urban, multicenter safety-net hospital before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Posterior probability distributions for transmission, isolation, and hospital discharge rates were computed using the Delayed Rejection Adaptive Metropolis (DRAM) Bayesian algorithm. Analysis of 187,040 patient records revealed that inpatient nursing units exhibited the highest MRSA transmission rates in three out of the five years studied. Notable transmission rates were observed in certain inpatient and progressive care units (0.55 per individual per month; 0.018 per individual per day) and the surgical ICU (0.44 per individual per month; 0.015 per individual per day). In contrast, the Nursery NICU and Medical ICU had the lowest transmission rates. Although MRSA transmission rates significantly declined across all units in 2021, these rates rebounded to pre-pandemic levels in subsequent years. Notably, outbreaks emerged in units such as ICUs and progressive care units that had not experienced prior MRSA outbreaks since 2019. While MRSA transmission significantly declined during the initial phase of the pandemic, the pathogen reestablished itself in later years. These findings highlight the need for sustained resources and adaptive infection control strategies to reduce the incidence of HA-MRSA in safety-net hospitals.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

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The Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the University of Missouri Kansas City approved our study protocol in 2023 (IRB Project Number 2094337). All methods were carried out in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations.

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