Routines and certificate of MRSA-screening

What is MRSA?

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is a staph bacterium resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics. The prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has increased in recent years. Many resistant bacterial species are present in the normal bacterial flora, and infection occurs when the body's defence is somehow disrupted.

MRSA is common in many countries, particularly in hospitals, but less common in Sweden. To prevent it from spreading, people who have been in contact with medical services in other countries or regions where MRSA is more common, such as patients or staff, must undergo MRSA screening before participating in clinic-based work or studies. Incoming exchange students with Nordic citizenship are exempt from MRSA screening unless they have been in contact with medical or healthcare services outside the Nordic countries. 

MRSA screening

Upon arrival in Gothenburg, screening must be conducted regardless of any prior screening in the home country. The test can be done at the University's student healthcare provider, Feelgood. Samples will be taken from the nose, throat, perineum, and, if applicable, skin lesions. It takes approximately five working days to receive the test result. If you have a skin lesion, you cannot contact patients until you test negative for MRSA.

Student healthcare (link to Student Portal)

The process of MRSA is verified:

• The student healthcare provider (Feelgood) communicates the positive result directly to the student.
• The student is called to the Infectious Disease Clinic as soon as possible for examination, testing and information. The attending physicians at the Infectious Diseases Clinic will evaluate the student's risk factors and the type of clinical work the student will do. Before this evaluation is completed, the student will be prevented from entering clinical work according to the regulations from the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen)
• The return to clinical work will be done in consultation with the attending physician at the Infectious Disease Clinic, Vårdhygien, and Infectious Disease Control (Smittskydd) in Västra Götaland.

When a student at the Sahlgrenska Academy is a verified MRSA carrier, the attending physician in the MRSA department of the Infectious Disease Clinic, in collaboration with the Department of Vårdhygien at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital, develops an individual plan for the student.

A person with confirmed MRSA must follow the rules set by the attending physician under the Swedish Communicable Diseases Act (Smittskyddslagen). A person with confirmed MRSA should not perform clinical work in a clinical unit assessed as a “risk unit.”

The attending physician should also inform about the possibility of waiving stipulated rules and medical check-ups when MRSA is verified if the following criteria are met: At least three negative samples of MRSA are taken over twelve months (from the first to the third test) from a person with healthy skin, and no other individual risk factors are present (Guidelines at National Board of Health and Welfare).

Testing is free for all students. 

The regulations are mandatory for all students and staff working in the healthcare sector in Sweden.