There are some patients who may not be routinely screened, they are:
- day case ophthalmology patients undergoing treatment for eye conditions
- day case dental patients
- day case endoscopy patients undergoing diagnostic examination
- minor dermatology procedures, for examples, warts or other
liquid nitrogen applications
- children, unless they are in a high risk group
- maternity/obstetrics patients except for elective caesareans and any high risk cases, for example, high risk of complications in the mother and / or potential complications in the baby, such as needing treatment in a special care baby unit or neonatal intensive care, because of size or known complications.
You may be considered to be in a high risk group if:
-you have been diagnosed as having MRSA before
-you have been in hospital (as in inpatient) during the previous three months or are frequently readmitted to any healthcare facility
-if you are a resident of a care home where there is a high prevalence of MRSA
-someone else in your household is known to be carrying MRSA
-you have a long-term health condition, such as type 2 diabetes
Some hospitals also screen for MSSA (meticillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus) at the same time as MRSA (meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus). MSSA is responsive to meticillin and can be easier to treat, if you were having surgery and you were found to be colonised with MSSA the hospital may carry out a similar decolonisation regime, it is less likely that you would be isolated however. As with MRSA, attention to hand-hygiene, keeping the procedure as free from bacteria as possible using aseptic non-touch techniques, and barrier nursing, that is the wearing of aprons and protective clothing, would take place.
Blackpool Fylde and Wyre NHS Trust carries out screening for MSSA, for more information you can visit their website at
http://tinyurl.com/bfwmssa
Reference Sources:
MRSA screening - operational guidance:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Lettersandcirculars/
Dearcolleagueletters/DH_086687
Guidelines for the control and prevention of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in healthcare facilities
J Hosp Infect 2006:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16581155
MRSA infection - Screening - NHS Choices:
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/MRSA/Pages/
MRSAscreeningwhattoexpect.aspx


