Cost-Benefit-Analysis of a Targeted Hospital Wide Pcr-Based Admission Screening for Mrsa in a German University Hospital - Consideration of a Six-Year Time Period.

References: [1] Farbman L et al. Cost-benefit of infection control interventions targeting methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus in hospitals: systematic review. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2013 Dec;19(12):E582-93. [2] Hübner C et al. Analysis of MRSA-attributed costs of hospitalized patients in Germany. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2014 Oct;33(10):1817-22. OBJECTIVES: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections cause heavy financial burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Hospital admission screening has been proven as an effective method to prevent nosocomial MRSA transmission. However, previous cost studies mostly refer to screening regimes for a limited area of hospitals (e.g. ICU) a limited period of intervention (< 1 year) or rely on culture tests only.[1] The aim of this study was to determine the long-term costs and benefits of a targeted hospital wide PCR-based admission screening for MRSA.