Preventing the spread of MRSA: All frontline staff need to be involved...

doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7472.978

BMJ 2004;329:978 (23 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7472.978

Letter

Preventing the spread of MRSA

All frontline staff need to be involved...

The first 100% of the full text of this article appears below.

Credit: SOUTHAMPTON GENERAL HOSPITAL/SPL

EDITOR—Few would challenge Voss's assertion that the controlof methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is andwill continue to be of the utmost importance to the infectioncontrol community.¹

Yet this assertion contains hidden within it one of the greatestchallenges to be faced by the infection control community inthe United Kingdom today, for, until the control of MRSA isof the utmost importance to all frontline NHS staff, attemptsat control are doomed to failure. Instilling this simple truthin the minds of clinical staff is of the highest priority. Theall too prevalent perception that MRSA control is the responsibilityand sole provenance of infection control professionals is outdatedand if perpetuated will prove detrimental to achieving controlof MRSA in NHS hospitals.

Barry A Dale, consultant bacteriologist

Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, Dumfries DG1 4AP B.Dale@dgri.scot.nhs.uk

Competing interests: None declared.