Rapid molecular screening for meticillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) carriage: an economic evaluation

Abstract

Aim: To establish the cost-effectiveness of screen-A ing and treating meticillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) carriers, potentially reducing both financial and clinical burdens of managing healthcare-acquired infections. Methods: A decision health economic model analysed the impact of a ‘screen and treat’ strategy for Hospital inpatients from the perspective of the UK National Health Service. Results: Cost savings in excess of £600k and around 840 potential infections could be avoided in a 70,000 patient cohort, at a nasal carriage prevalence of 30%. For 2000 high infection risk cardiothoracic surgery patients, cost savings could reach £8,636 per annum. The dominance of the ‘screen and treat’ strategy holds for plausible variations in the model parameter values and simple modelling of secondary transmission. Conclusion: Adopting rapid screening and treating MSSA nasal carriers should be clinically and financially advantageous, compared to current strategies of not screening, even under conservative assumptions for costs and probabilities of managing infections.