No Benefit from MRSA Screening?

Transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) within the hospital setting is of intense concern, leading many groups to advocate for or initiate active screening programs for this pathogen on hospital admission. But is this approach effective?

To find out, investigators in Switzerland conducted a prospective interventional cohort study to compare rapid on-admission screening for MRSA plus standard infection-control precautions (including adjustment of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis and a 5-day decolonization regimen) with standard infection-control precautions alone. Twelve surgical wards were involved; each was assigned to one of the strategies and then, after 9 months of the intervention plus a 2-month washout pe…