The implementation of the Infection Control Map—an integrated, visual online information system—enhanced infection control practices and reduced the incidence of multidrug-resistant organisms in a medical intensive care unit

BACKGROUND: Fragmented and siloed nature of healthcare data leads to insufficient recognition of infection control priorities and poor adherence to preventive measures. We evaluated the impact of a visualized and integrated online information system on the infection control practice and incidence of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), antimicrobial consumptions, and clinical outcomes in a medical intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: Patients hospitalized in one medical ICU during July 1, 2023, to November 30, 2024, were collected, and were analyzed by clinical outcomes, the incidence rate of healthcare-associated MDROs, and the antimicrobial consumptions before and after the implementation of Infection Control Map (ICM). Another ICU was selected as comparison. RESULTS: A total of 775 patients were included and divided into two periods: Pre-intervention period (n = 262), and Intervention period (n = 513). There were no statistical differences among demographics except the Acute Physiologic Assessment and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, which was higher in the Intervention period than that of Pre-intervention period (30.0 vs 25.0, p = 0.000). The incidence rate of MDROs decreased over time (tau = -0.53, p = 0.019), especially the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (1.5 vs 0.3 per 1000 patient-days, incidence rate ratio = 0.2, p = 0.012), as well as the consumption of meropenem (tau = -0.53, p = 0.003). There was significant decrease in 30-day all-cause mortality after the ICM use by multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: The implementation of the ICM significantly strengthened infection control practices, resulting in a marked reduction in healthcare-associated MRSA incidence, targeted antimicrobial usage, and 30-day all-cause mortality.