A prospective multicentre screening study on multidrug-resistant organisms in intensive care units in the Dutch–German cross-border region, 2017 to 2018: the importance of healthcare structures 

The Dutch–German cross-border region has been at the forefront of cooperation in the domain of AMR and infection prevention since 2005 with the support of European INTERREG programmes (www.deutschland-nederland.eu). Since then, the projects developed within the INTERREG programme have been denoted a ‘best practice’ for studying the prevalence of MDRO in a European cross-border region (Interact, European Cooperation Day, 2013). Importantly, among all cross-border regions in Europe, the Dutch–German cross-border region exhibits the most frequent exchange of citizens, with 74% of Germans and Dutch citizens living close to the border indicating to have visited the other country. Additionally, patient movements, e.g. exchange of patients between different healthcare institutes, across this particular border occur on a regular basis.