Quality of Life in Patients with Vancomycin-Resistant
Enterococcus and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Patients who are infected or colonized with antibiotic
resistant organisms are often managed on some type of special isolation
precautions. These precautions may vary somewhat between institutions
and care settings, but generally include some form of segregation
form other patients, limitation of activity, and use of extra barriers
by health care providers. The distress caused to patients by isolation
has been clinically observed but not systematically studied. The
purpose of this study is to identify and quantify the impact of
a diagnosis of colonization or infection with VRE and MRSA on the
specific domains of the quality of life of patients.
Patients from institutions in the Toronto/Peel Region
having their first episode of VRE or MRSA are recruited to the study
and assessed at two time intervals (approximately 4 weeks and 6
months after their initial identification as colonized or infected).
Quantitative data is collected through standardized questionnaires
measuring functional status, social support, optimism, illness intrusiveness,
self worth, mental health state and demographic information.
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