Abstract
BackgroundLittle is known about the management of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriers in the German outpatient sector and about the impact of MRSA on their daily life. Reimbursement for MRSA related costs in the German outpatient sector is available since 2012, but its impact has not been studied yet. The aim of the study was to analyze the outpatient management of MRSA carriers from both, physicians’ and MRSA carriers’ perspective.MethodsPaper-based questionnaires were mailed to physicians providing outpatient care and to MRSA carriers in 2013. MRSA carriers were recruited among patients tested positive for MRSA during a hospital stay in 2012. General practitioners, specialists for internal medicine, urologists, and dermatologists working in the outpatient catchment areas of the hospitals were contacted.ResultsOut of 910 MRSA carriers 16.5 % completed the questionnaires; among 851 physicians 9.5 % participated. 27.3 % of the responding MRSA carriers stated that no healthcare professional had ever talked to them about MRSA. 17.4 % reported self-stigmatization in terms of restricting social contacts; 47.3 % remembered decolonization and 33.3 % reported that their MRSA status was checked after discharge. Physicians displayed heterogeneous attitude and activity towards MRSA (number of applied decolonization and MRSA screenings). A minority (15.2 %) were satisfied with the reimbursement of costs, 35.9 % reported full agreement with the general recommendations for the handling of MRSA carriers.ConclusionsMRSA carriers appear not well informed; (self-) stigmatization is occurring and should be tackled. Greater awareness of MRSA as a problem in the outpatient sector could lead to a better handling of MRSA carriers.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-016-1503-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Little is known about the management of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriers in the German outpatient sector and about the impact of MRSA on their daily life
We focused on these specialities in order to query physicians who presumably frequently deal with MRSA positive patients
MRSA carriers Analogously, we developed a questionnaire for MRSA carriers, including questions on MRSA history, general state of health, perceived stigmatization, and socio-demographic data
Summary
Little is known about the management of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriers in the German outpatient sector and about the impact of MRSA on their daily life. Reimbursement for MRSA related costs in the German outpatient sector is available since 2012, but its impact has not been studied yet. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has a prevalence of around 2.2 % in newly admitted patients to German hospitals [1] and can be detected in 18–20 % of inpatients’ derived Staphylococcus aureus isolates [2]. In order to interrupt the MRSA transmission, measures in the hospital and follow-up and decolonization of patients in the outpatient sector is necessary. A follow-up system for MRSA carriers (or carriers of other multiresistant pathogens) across sectoral borders (inpatient vs outpatient) is missing in Germany, and we could not find any international studies concerning this subject
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