Don 't Kill Them : A Research Institute At Harbor Ucla Medical Center ( La Biomed )

There are several important steps in preventing the spread of MRSA: washing hands before and after patient contact, using gloves appropriately, covering any cuts on the hands, maintaining healthy hands, avoiding overcrowding in hospital departments, maintaining a clean environment, and prudent antibiotic prescribing (3). Hand washing is the most effective way to keep from spreading infections. The CDC recommends that you spend 20 seconds scrubbing your hands with soap while washing your hands (1). You can sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice all the way through also (1). If soap and water are not available, the CDC recommends using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol (1). This should not be used as a first line of defense. Hand washing is always the best way to get rid of harmful bacterium. Gloves and gowns are another great way to create a barrier between you and the bacteria. Proper removal of gloves and gown are vitally important. If your gloves are contaminated with MRSA, and you remove them improperly, you have completely defeated the point of even putting the gloves on. Once a surface is contaminated with MRSA, it can live prolonged periods of time unless removed through cleaning (5). For contaminated surfaces, you would want to use a disinfectant. Choosing the proper disinfectant, along with following the directions of use on the packaging, will rid the surface form microbes. It is extremely important to follow the directions on the packaging of the disinfectant because each disinfectant is different. One may need you to keep the surface wet for 2 minutes, while the other requires the surface to be kept wet for 10 minutes. If the surface isn’t kept wet for the allotted time, the surface will not be disinfected and will continue to contaminate

Anyone can get MRSA. You can get MRSA the same way you can get a cold, such as by touching someone or something that has the bacteria on it and then touching you eyes or your nose. MRSA can live on surfaces and objects for months.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or more commonly, MRSA can be transmitted in two separate ways, therefore giving it two different names. One way it is spread is by way of hospitals, giving it the name health care-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA). Another way it is spread is through busy areas with a lot of crowding, therefore naming it community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA). MRSA is considered an emerging disease because the prevalence of the disease has increased over the past few decades.

Health care providers and visitors are required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) and follow strict hand hygiene procedures. Contaminated rooms, surfaces, and laundry items are properly disinfected to prevent the spread of MRSA. In addition to policy and procedures, patient teaching is also helpful for preventing exposure and spread of MRSA. As aforementioned earlier, hand hygiene is key to prevent exposer or transmission of the bacteria. To properly wash your hand effectively, first scrub hands rapidly for at least 15 seconds. Next, use a disposable towel to dry them and another towel to turn off the faucet. In addition, hand sanitizer that contains 62 percent or more of alcohol may be an adequate substitute when the individual does not have access to soap and water (Mayo Clinic Staff,

skin condition that staph is able to cause is cellulitis. It is more common in people who have a weakened immune system such as people who are immunocompromised, infants, and the elderly. Cellulitis is characterized by a red, warm patch on the skin paired with a fever. “The bacteria that cause cellulitis can spread rapidly, entering lymph nodes and your bloodstream. Recurrent episodes of cellulitis may cause chronic swelling of the affected limb” (Mayo, 2015). Cellulitis is spread extremely easily, and is a big issue within long term care facilities. The infection can be cured by antibiotics. However, there are cases reported stating that cellulitis is becoming resistant to some antibiotics. The doctor can order a culture to send to pathology.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is a bacterium that is resistant to many available high- level beta-lactam antibiotics, which include penicillins, “antistaphylococcal” penicillins and cephalosporins. Staphyloccoci are the most important bacteria that cause disease in humans. MRSA is sometimes branded as a nosocomial infection as it usually plagues patients that are receiving treatment in a hospital. The skin is the most common site of infection, where MRSA can cause cellulitis, folliculitis, or boils in the skin, but can also commonly be found in the nose, underarm, groin, upper respiratory tract, intestine, vagina and rectal areas of the body. MRSA infections occur with there is a break in the skin that allows the Methicillin resistant

In today’s society it has become apparent that “antibiotic-resistant superbugs are the world’s greatest threat to humans now, and into the future. (UQ contact, 2015). In recent years’ bacteria and superbugs have adapted to resist multiple antibiotics including the last line drugs, causing large concern among the medical industry. Staphylococcus aureus, otherwise known as golden staph is a fine example of an antibiotic resistant superbug. Golden staph is becoming more excessively resistant to the most powerful of antibiotics, due to the excessive use of antibiotics the bacteria has mutated drug resistant strains, causing havoc among Australian hospitals.

MRSA is a skin infection that can potentially lead to death if not properly treated. Symptoms include rash, headaches, body aches, chills, fever, extreme fatigue, cough, shortness of breath, and chest pains. The rash may appear as pimples or boils and can be quite painful. There are two types of MRSA. HA-MRSA is an infection that was contracted in a hospital or healthcare setting and CA-MRSA is an infection contracted by a healthy individual in the community. Often times, those who contract CA-MRSA have a fragile immune system, play sports that require contact to contact, live with health care professional, or live in contaminated environments. Student athletes are most at risk. They can catch infections from gyms and locker rooms that weren 't properly cleaned. If there is any suspicion of having the infection, one should go to their doctor to determine if it is a MRSA infection. The longer one waits the harder it will be to treat it.

According to Herman, Kee, Moores, and Ross (2008), “there is no data to support use of mupirocin or antiseptic body washes to eliminate colonization in people with community acquired MRSA (p.223).” Furthermore, they advise that proper hand washing, good personal hygiene, and appropriate wound care should be sufficient. However, advises provider to consult an infection disease specialist to discuss measure to discuss colonization (p.223).

MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and was founded in the 1960’s. It was not recognized until the 1990’s when there was a breakout in the hospitals. Healthcare professionals became frightened of this “Super-Bug” mainly because of the spread from one person to another. It became uncontrollable and staff were not aware of how to prevent the spread and treat the patients. It was then that the hospitals and nursing homes developed infection control measures in order to control and prevent further spread of MRSA.

Step ONE: There are several diseases that will put a healthcare provider at risk. Healthcare providers are often worried of getting dirty needle sticks and contracting a disease such as Hepatitis or HIV. Not only are Health care providers are being precautious towards dirty needle sticks, but are also precautious towards staph bacteria such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Patients who have MRSA are resistant to different antibiotics in which cause health problems. MRSA affects healthcare providers and anyone who comes in direct contact with the infected person or anyone who touches items with the bacteria that causes staph. It is mainly a skin infection but it could also affect the lungs, blood, heart, bones or joints.

MRSA is no longer solely transmitted throughout the health care setting, it is within the community. The risk factors of MRSA within the health care setting is being hospitalized because patient are more vulnerable, having an invasive medical device implanted because it allows MRSA easier access into the body and staying in a long-term care facility because even carriers of MRSA may spread the disease(Methicillin Resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA), 2016). The risk factors within the community is partaking in contact activities because of the skin to skin contact and the cuts and abrasion which MRSA can get into and living in a crowded area or unsanitary conditions because MRSA can easily be spread (Methicillin Resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA),

As nurses, taking care of patients with MRSA can be seen in everyday practice. It can be seen in patients with sepsis from an infected wound, patients who have pneumonia, or patients who only have a colonization for it (“Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), 2015”). Regardless if it’s colonization or an active infection, and the source of the infection, proper policies and procedures are in place to reduce the transmission of MRSA to other patients in the hospital or nursing home setting. This includes performing proper hand hygiene and standard precautions, as well as wearing protective gown and gloves when entering the patient’s room. It is very important to adhere to these policies and procedures and educate others on the importance of these policies and procedures to reduce the transmission of MRSA to others.

MRSA is a bacterium and a type of Staphylococcus that causes infections and is resistant to certain antibiotics including methicillin, Oxacillin and Amoxicillin. Staphylococcus aureus are common germs, frequently carried on skin or in noses of healthy people.Plenty of healthy people carry staph without being infected by it. In fact, one third of the population has staph bacteria in their noses.MRSA is usually spread by direct contact with an infected wound or from contaminated hands, usually those of healthcare providers. Healthcare providers should adhere to the 5 moments of hand hygiene to limit the spread of infection. Also, people who carry MRSA but do not have signs of infection can spread the bacteria to others.

The overuse of antibiotics has been a problem for well over a decade. This misuse leads to many nonvisible problems arising within the human population. As the use of antibiotics increases, the number of antibiotic resistant bacteria also increases. When bacteria become resistant to an antibiotic, another antibiotic must be used to try and kill it and the cycle becomes vicious. Michael Martin, Sapna Thottathil, and Thomas Newman stated that antimicrobial resistance is, “an increasingly serious threat to global public health that requires action across all government sectors and society” (2409).