Transmission rates, screening methods and costs of MRSA—a systematic literature review related to the prevalence in Germany

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections represent a serious challenge for health care institutions, which is inherent in the combination of prevalence, transmission rates and costs. Furthermore, performing an MRSA screening requires information on the complex system of effectiveness, accuracy and costs of different screening methods. The purpose of this study was to give an overview of parameters with decisive significance for the burden of MRSA and the selection of a specific MRSA screening strategy. A systematic literature search for peer-reviewed health economic studies associated with MRSA was performed (from 1995 to the present). Eighty-seven different studies met all inclusion and exclusion criteria. Primary outcomes included the prevalence of MRSA, MRSA transmission rates, performance characteristics of MRSA screening methods, costs for pre-emptive isolation precautions and costs per MRSA case. The prevalence rates reported for all inpatients (1.2–5.3 %) as well as for inpatients with risk factors or patients in risk areas (3.85–20.6 %) vary greatly. The range of cross-transmission rates per day reported for patients with MRSA in isolation is 0.00081–0.009 and for carriers not in isolation is 0.00137–0.140, respectively. For polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods, the mean sensitivity and specificity were 91.09 and 95.79 %, respectively. Culture methods show an average sensitivity of 89.01 % and an average specificity of 93.21 %. The turn-around time for PCR methods averages 15 h, while for the culture method, it can only be estimated as 48–72 h. This review filtered important parameters and cost drivers, and covered them with literature-based averages. These findings serve as an ideal evidence base for further health economic considerations of the cost-effectiveness of different MRSA screening methods.