MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)‘Superbug’ Gram-positive bacterium that can occur on skin and inside the nostrils in healthy individuals. If it invades the body, MRSA can cause septicaemia, pneumonia, osteomyelitis and endocarditis. Detected in 1961, MRSA is spread by skin-to-skin contact and is resistant to common antibiotics. MRSA Infection NHS choices https://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/MRSA/Pages/Introduction.aspx Staphylococcus aureus: guidance, data and analysis Public Health England https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/staphylococcus-aureus-guidance-data-and-analysis NEW! NICE has published new guidance (18 August 2015) that aims to cut antibiotic prescribing by at least 25% - accounting for 10 million antibiotic prescrptions, and says that prescribers who continue to prescribe antimicrobial agents inapporpriately could ultimately face regulatory sanctions - even though it acknowledges that much of the pressure to prescribe an antibiotic is fuelled by patient demand. NICE is to publish a second guideline next year that will focus on changing people's knowledge, attitudes and behaviours about the use of antibitotics. There will also be a quality standard on antibiotic prescribing. NICE [NG15] Antimicrobial stewardship: systems and processes for effective antimicrobial medicine use https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng15 |
|