Final answer:
MDROs are associated with increased patient morbidity and mortality, longer hospital stays, and higher costs of care due to their resistance to multiple antibiotics. They are a significant healthcare concern as they lead to serious infections and complicate treatment outcomes.
Step-by-step explanation:
MDROs are associated with increased patient morbidity and mortality, length of hospital stays, and cost of care. MDROs, or multidrug-resistant organisms, are strains of bacteria that have become resistant to several types of antibiotics. This resistance makes infections caused by these organisms much more difficult to treat, often leading to worsened outcomes for patients, including longer hospital stays and increased healthcare costs.
For example, MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a type of MDRO that can cause severe infections and is associated with higher treatment costs and mortality rates. The prevalence of MDROs in healthcare settings is a significant concern because they contribute to the risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), which are infections that patients acquire while receiving treatment for other conditions within a healthcare setting.