Hospitals can help mitigate MRSA infections by screening patients to identify if they carry methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, according to MedPage Today.
Researchers at Evanston, Ill.-based NorthShore University Health System screened incoming patients for MRSA over 10 years. Researchers identified patients carrying MRSA as colonized in their medical records. The researchers then placed the patients in gown and glove isolation, and then decolonized the patients.
Here are four insights:
1. Before the screening started, the rate of MRSA was 8.9 cases per 10,000 patient-days.
2. After the screening was implemented, the MRSA rate was cut to 3.9 cases per 10,000 patient-days.
3. Researchers also looked at the effect of decolonization. They found that decolonization did not affect the MRSA rate.
4. Donna Schora, MT (ASCP), of the NorthShore University Health System, said the researchers concluded that decolonization of patients was not necessary.
