Cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, also known as MRSA, rose 41 percent during the pandemic and account for around 10 percent of hospital-associated infections. Its pandemic-induced rise has led experts to revise infection prevention guidelines for clinicians, according to a June 27 news release from the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America.
"The enormous strain put on healthcare during the pandemic may have contributed to the observed increase in some hospital infections. We have data that show MRSA infections rose," David Calfee, MD, the senior author of the updated guidance and editor of the journal for the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America said in a statement. "The evidence that informs these recommendations shows that we can be successful in preventing transmission and infection. We can get back to the pre-2020 rates and then do even better."
Major revisions to MRSA guidelines include:
- An updated emphasis on antimicrobial stewardship and discernment about when to prescribe and when to avoid doing so.
- Using surveillance techniques to detect anyone who may be an asymptomatic carrier of MRSA.
- Decolonization to help eradicate or reduce MRSA among people who are colonized with it.
- Implementing certain infection prevention strategies, and an updated method to prevent surgical site infections, which MRSA is commonly contracted after.
The updates to the guide are the first since 2014, according to the release.