Why bother with MRSA? MRSA organisms are often associated with patients in hospitals but can also be found on patients not in a hospital.
Why bother with MRSA?
MRSA organisms are often associated with patients in hospitals but can also be found on patients not in a hospital. Usually it is not necessary to do anything about MRSA organisms. However if MRSA organisms are passed on to someone who is already ill, then a more serious infection may occur in that individual. When patients with MRSA are discovered in a hospital, the hospital will usually try to prevent it from passing around to other patients. This is known as infection control.
How do we prevent the spread of MRSA?
Measures to prevent the spread of organisms from one person to another are called isolation or infection control. The type of infection control or isolation required for any patient depends on the organism, where the organisms are found on an individual and the patient.
The most important type of isolation required for MRSA is what is called ‘<$>Contact Isolation’. This type of isolation requires everyone in contact with the patient to be very careful about hand washing after touching either the patient or anything in contact with the patient. If the organism is in the nose or lungs it may also be necessary to have the patient in a room to prevent spread to others by droplet spread. Because dust and surfaces can become contaminated with the organism, cleaning of surfaces is also important. This usually occurs after the patient leaves the hospital.
If a number of patients are infected with the same organism it is possible to nurse them in the same area. On occasions for the sake of other patients it may be necessary to move carriers of MRSA to an isolation unit such as ours that specialises in isolating all types of infections to protect other persons. The medical care of such patients will continue in an isolation unit which used to caring for all types of medical and surgical problems associated with infections.
What do visitors need to do?<$>
Provided relatives and friends of patients with MRSA are healthy there is no restriction on visiting and it carries no risk. Visitors are not required to wear special clothing BUT we would ask you to help us prevent this organism spreading around our hospital by keeping the patients’ door closed at all times and always washing your hands whenever you leave the room.
What about MRSA at home?<$>
In patients who are otherwise well the organisms often disappear once the patient leaves the hospital. Sometimes they do not, however, and this may mean that when a patient has to go back into hospital the isolation precautions need to be used again. Provided everyone at home is healthy special precautions are not required at home.
What can be done about MRSA?<$>
In certain situations it may be a good idea to try to get rid of the organism from a patient and this can be done with various creams and shampoos or on occasions combinations of antibiotics taken by mouth or by injection depending on the health of the patient.
This fact sheet was provided by The Bermuda Hospitals Board.
