Researchers suggest there is poor evidence to support screening and isolating infected patients - standard practice in hospitals worldwide.
But good hand hygiene and bathing with antibacterial solutions are key to reducing infections, they say.
Experts warn more studies are needed before any change in protocols.
Despite rates of Meticillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) falling in many countries, concerns about its spread remain.
The bug is resistant to most antibiotics and while it is can be carried harmlessly on the skin it may lead to serious wound infections - particularly in people who are already unwell.
Hospitals have used a varied combination of methods to tackle it, including:
Scientists reviewed studies over the last decade.
But most investigated several infection control measures in combination, making it difficult to tease out which ones worked best.
Researchers say the limited evidence focusing solely on isolation or screening suggest they may not reduce spread of the disease and could do more harm than good.
Prof Gerd Fatkenheuer, from the University Hospital Cologne, Germany, who was part of the research team said: "In the haste to do something against the rising tide of MRSA infection, measures were adopted that seemed plausible but were not properly assessed, bundling the effective and harmless with the ineffective and harmful.
"We know for example that isolating patients can result in anxiety and depression and fewer visits by doctors and nurses."
The scientists emphasise evidence backs good hand-washing and suggests people with the bug should bathe daily using antibacterial solutions.
Prof Peter Collignon at the Canberra Hospital, Australia said: "Certain countries, however, that take all of these combined approaches - such as the Netherlands and Denmark - have the lowest rates of MRSA spread in healthcare facilities.
"So we need to make sure that studies clearly show that we will not do harm by stopping some or all of these isolation methods."
The report authors say as MRSA levels continue to drop this provides a good opportunity to reassess how best to tackle the problem.
And they recommend scarce resources could be redeployed to combat other infections - rather than singling out MRSA.
Recent figures for England suggest 862 cases of MRSA were recorded in the year 2013-14, a substantial reduction from the 4,451 cases reported in 2007-08.

The first bomb was found during an alert at Ramoan Drive on Saturday morning.
A device found in the Glencolin Walk area of west Belfast later on Saturday has also been declared viable.  There is another security alert in Ballygally in County Antrim.
Both alerts in west Belfast have now ended.
The alert in Glencolin Walk followed the discovery of a suspicious object.
The Glen Road was closed between the junctions of Shaw's Road and Suffolk Road.
Police are attending a security alert at a country park on the Coast Road, Ballygally, in County Antrim, following the discovery of a number of suspicious objects.
There are no more details on that incident at this stage.
On Friday, a bomb exploded under a prison officer's van in east Belfast.
The device partially detonated when he drove over a speed ramp at Hillsborough Drive in Belfast, at 07:10 GMT.
The jury is still out on the effectiveness of methods to control the hospital superbug MRSA, according to an international report in the Lancet.
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Police have said two devices found in separate security alerts in west Belfast are viable.