Hospitals in Lincolnshire, UK are fighting infections by screening patients for MRSA on admission. At the moment, Lincolnshire hospitals perform MRSA screenings on patients admitted as emergencies and other groups of patients depending on the procedures to be undertaken. They aim to screen all elective patients for MRSA on admission by March 2009.

The transmission of MRSA and the risk of MRSA infection can be minimised by taking measures to identify MRSA carriers as soon as they enter a hospital. When identified, they are treated immediately.

Screening of patients takes place on or before admission to hospital and patients identified as MRSA carriers start decolonisation procedures involving the use of antibacterial shampoo, body wash and nasal cream.

Senior Infection Control Nurse at ULHT, Charmian Hutson, says “We find that detecting and treating those who are carrying infections as early as possible is an effective way of cutting MRSA rates- and it’s working. In the last year, rates of MRSA in our hospital have been cut by 37%.”