Background: Hospital environment remains a risk for healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). This was a prospective study to evaluate the comprehensive impact of relocating a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to a new facility and improved environmental cleaning practice on the presence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on inanimate surfaces and the incident rate of HAIs.

Methods: New environmental cleaning measures were adopted after the NICU was moved to a new and better-designed location. The effect of moving and the new environmental cleaning practice was investigated by comparing the positive number of MRSA on ward surfaces and the incidence density of HAIs between the baseline and intervention periods.

Results: Only 2.5% of environmental surfaces were positive for MRSA in the intervention period compared to 44.0% in the baseline period (P<0.001). Likewise, the total incident rate of HAIs declined from 16.8 per 1000 cot-days to 10.0 per 1000 cot-days (P<0.001).

Conclusion: The comprehensive measures of relocating the NICU to a new facility design with improved environmental cleaning practice are effective and significantly reduce the incidence of HAIs.