Screening procedure gives hospital clear MRSA record

Main Category: MRSA / Drug Resistance
Article Date: 22 Sep 2004 - 14:00 PDT

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A screening programme against MRSA has kept a Welsh hospital department free of the superbug for three years, the Western Mail reported.

Patients coming in for elective arthroplasty - hip and knee joint - operations at Morriston Hospital in Swansea are routinely tested for MRSA. If they test positive, they are treated before undergoing the operation.

A spokesman for Swansea NHS trust said of the department's infection record: "This was a specific objective of the arthroplasty service - it was a conscious effort by the team and the consultant."

At Gwent Healthcare Trust, a similar procedure is applied to patients coming in for planned orthopaedic and vascular surgery.

"Our infection team is the biggest in Wales and undertakes surveillance, implementing infection control policies and highlights awareness to staff and visitors," said Julian Hayman, spokesman for the Gwent trust.

A spokesman for the Welsh Assembly said that it was important for such procedures to take place to tackle the infection, which is believed to kill around 2,000 people in Britain each year.

He said, however, that everyone working in healthcare had to take responsibility for hygiene. " No amount of pre-admission screening will assist if this is not part of a complete package," he added.

http://www.hda-online.org.uk

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