Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA): A Briefing for Acute Care Hospitals and Nursing Facilities

The incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has increased in communities and in healthcare facilities in the United States since the mid-1970s. Although MRSA often is thought of as a nosocomial infection problem because it is encountered in facilities of all types and sizes, it also causes many community-acquired infections. Approaches to control of MRSA vary widely, and there is lack of agreement on the most appropriate measures to control MRSA in healthcare facilities. The wide variation in approaches is due, in part, to the lack of data establishing the efficacy of specific control measures. As a result, the approaches that have been advocated have resulted in confusing and often conflicting recommendations and control measures. In some settings, there also have been unreasonable barriers and administrative hurdles that delay or prevent the transfer of patients between acute care and nursing (extended care) facilities.