Abstract
With the emergence and rising prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among individuals in the community, it is imperative to standardize patient care and develop best practices among health care providers. Evidence-based standard patient care guidelines for community-acquired methicillin-resistant S aureus skin and soft tissue infections have the potential to positively impact patient outcomes, decrease health risk, reduce hospitalization from insufficient treatment, and decrease or even prevent further transmission to unaffected individuals. Emergency department providers are in a unique position to lead in the management and prevention of skin and soft tissue infections. It is essential that community-acquired methicillin-resistant S aureus skin and soft tissue infections are consistently treated by evidence-based treatment standards, especially with the growing number of pathogens displaying resistance to antibiotics, rising mortality, rapid spread of antimicrobial resistant microbes, and the escalating health care costs. The purpose of this literature review is to provide health care providers with current evidence-based health care guidelines for the treatment and management of community-acquired methicillin-resistant S aureus skin and soft tissue infections.