Screening Inpatients for MRSA — Case Closed

One of the most controversial concepts in health care epidemiology during the past decade has been the active detection and isolation of patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization. The basic strategy is to screen inpatients for MRSA, typically with a polymerase-chain-reaction–based technology, in order to rapidly identify patients colonized with the organism and then initiate contact precautions (place them in a private room and require gowns and gloves on room entry). This approach has been used for decades to control outbreaks caused by epidemiologically important pathogens. As MRSA became endemic in hospitals, studies began to appear suggesting that active . . .