Synergy healthcare launches MRSA testing service
A leading provider of healthcare support systems to health services in the UK and Europe has launched a screening service designed to help hospitals fight MRSA infection.
Synergy Healthcare’s new service has been launched through its pathology division JMJ and uses Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) processes to deliver a test sensitive to MRSA in a two to four-hour turnaround.
This is a stark comparison to the traditional 24-48 hour turnaround associated with conventional screening methods.
The new service enables healthcare providers to screen for MRSA quickly and potentially reduce the number of people who enter a healthcare facility already carrying the MRSA pathogen.
Between 5-7% of patients entering hospitals have been shown to be carrying MRSA. Screening patients for MRSA on arrival at hospital is becoming increasingly common and is a key strategic initiative designed to reduce the occurrence of the organism in hospitals. The service is being targeted at both emergency and elective admissions.
By using the new service for elective admissions, Synergy believes that it will be possible to screen immediately prior to admission and thereby reduce the risk of patients acquiring MRSA bacteria in the time between screen and admission.
Anne Macmillan, marketing director of Synergy’s Patient Care Division, said: ‘This new service will enable healthcare providers to screen patients much more effectively and quickly for MRSA and by doing this reduce the risk of MRSA outbreaks occurring in hospitals.’