HighWire Medline Abstract.
Overall 29,978 patients were screened and 12,080 patients had suspected infections. 46.4% were deemed "high risk" based on the above definition and 11.1% of these were MRSA screen positive (colonized). Among screen positive patients, 23.8% had a positive MRSA clinical culture. Only 2.4% of patients who were deemed "high risk" but screen negative had a positive MRSA clinical culture and 1.6% of patients deemed "low-risk" had a positive MRSA clinical culture. The risk of MRSA infection was far higher in those deemed "high risk" and were surveillance-culture positive. Targeted MRSA active surveillance may be beneficial in guiding empiric anti-MRSA therapy.
