Prevention Of Hospitals For Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus ( Mrsa )

Healthcare associated infections are ranked as one of the top five causes of death in the United States (1). This is a very serious problem being that so many people go to hospitals to maybe have a surgery and get better and in return get a very serious infection that has been known to take limbs and even lives. There are many different hospital acquired or nosocomial infections, but the one that I am referring to is especially dangerous. The name of this infection is called Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or more commonly known as MRSA.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or more commonly, MRSA, is an emerging infectious disease affecting many people worldwide. MRSA, in particular, is a very interesting disease because although many people can be carriers of it, it generally only affects those with a depressed immune system; this is why it is so prevalent in places like nursing homes and hospitals. It can be spread though surgeries, artificial joints, tubing, and skin-to-skin contact. Although there is not one specific treatment of this disease, there are ways to test what antibiotics work best and sometimes antibiotics aren’t even necessary.

Describe methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and its implications for patients who are diagnosed with this.

Preventable infections regardless of the causative agent, have become major triggers of unintended patient outcome, increased morbidity, and mortality (Arias, 2010). Methicillin Sensitive Staphylococcus Aureus (MSSA) and Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) are the most common causes of healthcare associated infections (HAI) and outbreaks in acute care hospitals and community settings (CADTH, 2010). The widespread infection with the MRSA pathogen is believed to have increased from 2.4 percent in 1975 to 29 percent in 1991 and 2003 in hospitals across the United States (U S) (CADTH, 2010). The prevalence is even greater among Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients at 53 percent (CADTH, 2010) and continues to rise due to the widespread

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), specifically those involving multi-drug resistant organisms such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are associated with increased morbidity and mortality, as well as higher cost of healthcare and longer length of hospital stays for patients. Each year, millions of people acquire infections while receiving care, treatment, and services in hospitals and other health care organizations.

Each state can compare its statistical data to the standardized infection ratio (SIR), a summarized ratio of the culmination of national data; this is an excellent method to track the progress in the goal of reducing and eventually eradicating HAIs. The report for the state of Kentucky on HAIs in the state’s acute care hospitals was based on information received from a total of 116 hospitals that provided data for this survey. Unfortunately, the incidence of reported HAIs associated with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a type of laboratory identified hospital-onset bloodstream infection, is extremely high. Kentucky’s reported incidences in 2014 of patients infected with MRSA while being treated in acute care hospitals is 25% higher than the national baseline. This information is a red flag for the state’s epidemiology experts and healthcare professionals, that infection control protocol in place should be reviewed and researched to determine what can be done, either on a hospital-to-hospital based level or a state-wide level, to improve the efficiency of reducing or eliminating HAIs that are associated with MRSA infections. One area that the state’s statistical data rates very well is in Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSIs). Kentucky’s number of reported incidences of this type of infection is 45% lower than the national baseline, suggesting that the protocol used for this type of infection is very effective compared to what is practiced in other

As a hospital, quality care should be a priority for patients that are going to be treated for a sickness, or any type of procedure that is going to take place. A lot of times a patient gets an infection while they were at the hospital, on top of being treated for what they original came in for. Health facilities should be environments of healing, which they are, but they also have tons of various types of germs and infections, which grasp onto individuals that have weak immune systems/are sick. Some infections that are at hospitals are Tuberculosis, VRE, VAP, C-Diff, UTI, and MRSA. Preventive measures to stop the spread of the infections is lacking tremendously in the work and aim to provide safety for all patient’s health. The work

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a drug resistant pathogen abundant in healthcare settings and the second most common overall cause of healthcare associated infections (HAIs) reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) (Jernigan & Kallan, 2010). The prevalence of MRSA is a significant problem found amongst many Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in the United States (US); critically ill patients are at higher risk for hospital-acquired infections. Acquisition and infection of MRSA may significantly prolong duration of hospital stays, increase healthcare costs, and contribute to higher mortality rates. According to national data, MRSA accounts for nearly 70 percent of Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from

Hospital settings have harbored a disease-causing organism called Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) since the 1960s. However, hospitals aren’t the only settings at risk of a MRSA outbreak. In recent years’ healthy communities have seen a genetically distinct strain of MRSA, called community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA). Although this organism has been less resistant to antibiotics, it is more virulent and capable of causing illnesses (Alex & Letizia, 2007). The community should be aware of the risk factors for this infection and understand its signs, symptoms, and management.

The problem with control methods is that once using them for a long period of time they become resistant and no longer work effectively resulting and finding new methods and will also result in them becoming resistant. (Cooper, et al 2004) has found that hospitals have stayed with three control methods guidelines that include restrictions of antibiotics, washing your hands and having a proper hygiene and the ability to detect and isolate patients who are infected with MRSA . The best method that hospitals are taking into consideration is isolating infected colonized patients, because it is known that patient to patient transmit infections do occur more than any other way. Data research has been found that the safest way to prevent further contamination of the spread of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus is to follow these three proper safety guidelines (Chaberny, et al

Human civilizations have existed for thousands of years but with the existence of these civilizations diseases were right there with them. Even before great civilizations emerged, such as the Greeks and Romans, diseases have been around preying on animals and villages. When a civilization emerges it means that people have come together and built a society. These societies allow for diseases to spread easily because of unsanitary conditions and people being in close contact with each other on a normal basis. But in the past few decades science has allowed us to find cures or treatments for most diseases out there, yet there are still diseases that everyone knows about going around causing the deaths of thousands of people every year. This

My organization is currently using targeted MRSA surveillance of only those patients who meet the predetermined criteria such as screening those patients who are from the nursing home, ICU patients, and patients who have a history of MRSA. The practice of universal MRSA surveillance presents a great opportunity for decreasing the incidence and risk of MRSA transmission and hospital acquired infection. It is a great tool to improve and implement measures designed at providing a higher quality of care and improving patients’ outcome. I believe that these types of evidence should prompt hospitals or healthcare organizations to take the opportunity and take advantage of the data that was gathered to utilize the use of universal MRSA screening.

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.

Infection control is very important in the health care profession. Health care professionals, who do not practice proper infection control, allow themselves to become susceptible to a number of infections. Among the most dreaded of these infections are: hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Another infection which has more recently increased in prevalence is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). These infections are all treated differently. Each infection has its own symptoms, classifications, and incubation periods. These infections are transmitted in very similar fashions, but they do not all target the same population.

In my workplace, it is a hospital protocol for all ICU patients to be screened for Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureaus known as MRSA. MRSA surveillance screening in the hospital setting occurs through targeted screening of only those patients who meet the predetermined criteria. I am currently working in a Telemetry unit where we only do MRSA screen to those patients who have a previous history of the organism and patients who are from the Nursing Home. I am interested of exploring the effectiveness of utilizing the MRSA surveillance universally. According to (Robicsek, Beaumont, Paule, Hacek, & Thomson, 2008), patients are at high risk of MRSA infection when hospitalized, which can result to high cost and poor clinical outcomes. I