Prevention Of Infection Control Prevention

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

Keeping our hands clean is one of the most effcient and important steps we can do as humans to avoid getting sick or spreading germs to other people. Unwashed hands spread many diseases such as the flue, E. coli, and salmonella. Unfortunately, hand hygiene is still one of today’s most leading causes of infection in health care facilities. The risk of clinicians, patients, and visitors not complying with hand hygiene protocols creates a practice problem for nurses and their patient care. The cause of health care infections, also known as, health care-associated infections (HAIs) are increasing along with the rise of the inability to control or treat infections that are multi-drug resistant. Lack of proper hand hygiene is a major problem in clinical settings sourcing from critical care divisions where the most contaminations are prevalent. This paper will discuss how hand hygiene affects the nursing process and solutions of how to better prevent HAIs within the nursing scope of practice.

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,

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.

(McCaughey, 2016). The Center of Disease Control recommends hand washing with vigorous scrubbing for at least 15 seconds with soap and water. Using alcohol based gel hand sanitizer can be an appropriate alternative if soap and water is not readily available but does possess drawbacks including being ineffective against alcohol resistant bacteria. Programs for surveillance have also been implemented in hospitals with the intention of monitoring staff to ensure that policies are being followed to ensure the safety of the patients. Mandated reporting of hospital-specific rates and statistics for healthcare-associated infections has the potential to serve a purpose that could result in bringing down the instance for infection. Being forced to announce to the public infections rates versus other healthcare organizations has the potential for higher administration to implement better policies to assure their good standing in the eye of the

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

Carla, your post on community acquired MRSA infection, detection, and treatment of the condition is spot on. We all walk around with a variety of bacteria on our skin, especially healthcare workers. As healthcare professionals we are in constant contact with patients with various skin conditions including MRSA so it important to follow guidelines set by our institutions to limit the exposure to ourself and other patients. In addition, to the demographic that you mention in your post at risk for acquiring MRSA, younger non-exposed hospitalized patients are at risk as well.

This paragraph explains ways to prevent infections contracted from hospitals. The number one way to lower the spread of infections contracted through a hospital is correct sanitation customs. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a federal government agency has come up with guidelines in order to safeguard against the expansion of infections and diseases for patients and the workers (Hedman, 2010). It is mandatory for administrators of hospitals to write a disclosure policy to protect the workers from infections like Hepatitis B and other infections and bad bacteria. Minimizing infections that the workers have can aid in stopping the spread of

ICUs have complex patient populaces, which can act as vessels for breeding and disseminating MRSA throughout the rest of the hospital. Daily chlorhexidine bathing has been proven through multiple studies as an effective method to prevent or reduce the prevalence of MRSA and other hospital acquired infections in ICUs; however, there is not consistent buy-in by nursing staff in some ICUs. In an effort to better utilize the evidence-based research and increase patient health-outcomes hospitals should educated and train staff on proper bathing protocols to optimized

Microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites can be transmitted to patients via poor quality cross infection control measures e.g. inadequate cleaning, disinfecting and sterilising of instruments, equipments and surfaces around the hospital

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

Since the immune systems of some patients are a factor, it all comes back to the use of proper hand hygiene; following aseptic protocols when necessary, falls back on the claim that hospital acquired infections are resulted due to the lack of education for healthcare workers, patents, and also patients’ family or visitors to health care facilities; not following proper hand hygiene and lastly following protocols for surgical patients and also when using invasive devices. Among other things, the use of chlorhexidine on patients who patients and the incidence of MRSA and VRE according to the author there is no change in MRSA rates, however there is a decrease in VRE (Daily chlorhexidine bathing and hospital-acquired infection,

Staff with MRSA with skin disorders: Culture samples should be collected from the throat, nose, perineum and any skin disorders of the staffs on that day when the staff member is discovered as MRSA-positive (day 1). Additionally, treatment of carrier staff takes place on detecting as positive. Gathering of control cultures should have done on the 10th, 15th and 20th day. Employees with MRSA infections should follow the same procedures as they would for any infection. Excepting that, the employee underlie behind an outbreak, MRSA, by itself, should not be a reason for restricting work. Infected employees who are working should cover their wound and follow the normal precautions (WannetW; 2001). Employees with minor lesions should cover

When the physician or other healthcare goes into the room they wear certain protective gear. To prevent the spread of MRSA amongst children’s sports it is best advisable to properly cover and dress any cuts and or scrapes. To prevent the spread of MRSA within child day care it is best cover and any wounds that happen during the day care and to teach students proper hand washing techniques. I agree with the preventative measures each facility takes to prepare themselves against a person with MRSA and to prevent the disease. It is very common to contract the disease while working in a healthcare environment so I agree with isolating the patient and use the proper protective equipment each time a worker goes into the patient’s room.

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.