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Risk Score for Identifying Patient with Unknown Carriage of MRSA on Admission to Geriatric Hospital

Purpose: To evaluate a patient being admitted to a geriatric hospital for the risk of being colonized with MRSA using the score of Sax et al.

Description

Sax et al developed a simple score for identifying a patient with unknown methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriage on admission to a geriatric hospital. This can help identify patients who should be more closely evaluated and monitored. The authors are from Geneve University Hospital in Switzerland.


NOTE: Several authors on this paper are the same as those for the previous algorithm (Harbath et al) published the following year.

 

Parameters from the multivariate model:

(1) previous hospitalization

(2) recent antibiotic therapy

(3) transfer from another hospital (intra-hospital transfer)

 

Parameter

Finding

Points

previous hospitalization

none

0

 

2 or more years ago

0

 

< 2 years ago

1

recent antibiotic therapy

none

0

 

more than a month ago

0

 

less than a month ago

1

transfer from another hospital

no

0

 

yes

1

 

total score =

= SUM(points for all 3 parameters)

 

Interpretation:

• minimum score: 0

• maximum score: 3

• The higher the score the greater the risk of unknown MRSA carriage.

 

Total Score

MRSA Carriage

0

4%

1

15%

2 or 3

31%

 


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Specialty

Objective

ICD-10