Did You Know?
allnurses is the largest community for nurses on the web. We now have over 388,411 members! Join today to network with other nurses, laugh, share, and much more.
| Advertisement Sponsored Links | | | | No. 1 | 
Apr 10, 2009, 11:17 AM
 Re: MRSA - hospital stay ?
I just googled and found out what I needed to know..... nares are swipped every few week till negative.. so, this shall pass. I am truly lucky my immune system is strong. I will always, always wash my hands and glove!! In LTC it doesnt feel as necessary but safety precautions are just as important! Carole
 | | No. 2 |
Apr 10, 2009, 11:52 AM
Re: MRSA - hospital stay ?
Once on isolation for MRSA, always on isolation for MRSA, I thought. We consider people forever to be colonized with it.
| | No. 3 |
Apr 10, 2009, 12:03 PM
Re: MRSA - hospital stay ?
I would like to know about MRSA and isolation too. We just implemented a regimen where we swipe every patient's nares for MRSA.
If a person is healthy then what is to be done?
| | No. 4 |
Apr 10, 2009, 12:22 PM
Re: MRSA - hospital stay ?
I am confused somewhat too. I am colonized because I am a nurse and working around MRSA day in and day out. Now, I am testing positive and in a hospital setting was treated like a very dangerous person to be around, isolated and signs all over the door. Workers ran in and ran out..... I understand the safety issue but when colonized I am working in a nursing field and take care of people every single day. Does colonized mean dangerous carrier to patients and I am now contagious to spread this and should not be practicing????
| | No. 6 |
Apr 10, 2009, 01:22 PM
Re: MRSA - hospital stay ?
I am confused myself. One of my moms employees has MRSA so she called me for information. I am a new nurse who has not worked since December due to Guillian Barre Syndrome, so I got on the web and went through my school books to find information about it, but there is not much there. It tells a little bit about it but I am still confused. I just told her to bleach everything and get the other employees hand sanitizer. As for letting her come back to work, I told her to make the employee get a note from her Dr saying it was ok. I dont know what else to tell her.
| | No. 8 |
Apr 10, 2009, 01:52 PM
Re: MRSA - hospital stay ?
Yes, I am home and winding up on my Avelox which I have taken for 14 days. It covers the gram positive and gram negative bacteria growths. I am returning to work next week. I thought though that once a person was colonized they continue to show up positive on the nares swab? Then I read it is possible to again show up negative on a nares swipe. Oh, also, I asked why they were not swabbing in the auxillary, when I was just in the hospital and the nurse replied. "We dont do that anymore, swab under the arm. Just swab the nares." ?? Maybe my facility do both because we are LTC. I would think needing to be hospitalized would mean more stress on the body and a person would be immunosupressed and more caution in acute care would be more important ?? hmmmmm
Carole
| | No. 9 |
Apr 10, 2009, 03:23 PM
 Re: MRSA - hospital stay ? Originally Posted by CaroleN199  Yes, I am home and winding up on my Avelox which I have taken for 14 days. It covers the gram positive and gram negative bacteria growths. I am returning to work next week. I thought though that once a person was colonized they continue to show up positive on the nares swab? Then I read it is possible to again show up negative on a nares swipe.
Carole
It looks like the practice regarding MRSA is forever changing, and not the same from hospital to hospital.... so this is just my experience.As such, take it with a grain of salt 
Some facilities don't even swipe for MRSA anymore. Their rational is that such a percentage of patients and health care providers are colonized that it is pointless to screen, unless there is an ongoing (active) infection.
The way I understand it is that there is the healthy carrier (colonized, but has no infection-isn't sick), and then there is the person who has a site of infection positive for MRSA- which means that the bacteria are actively overpowering their immune system (at least for the time being).
The later are the ones really at risk because they have a stem resistant bacteria to the type of antibiotic targeted to kill "them". It makes it more difficult to treat, and often, several types of powerful antibiotics which spectrum overlap have to be used (more side effects for the patients).
Many other hospitals do have this policy of swabbing nares to all admitted patients. Such is the case where I currently work...however, the health care workers are NOT tested! I would believe that at least half of us would test positive (carriers).
As far as going from positive to negative, it is possible after a long antibiotic treatment to be "decolonized".
BUT, even after being decolonized, there is no warranty not to pick it up again....(and become positive again).
Most people won't be treated as long as they are healthy carriers. The only instance I know of to "decolonize" a MRSA positive person, is if the equilibrium is tipped and you become infected with the bacteria. In such case, the doc would first treat the active infection, and once that is achieved continue antibiotic therapy in order to complete decolonization and prevent continuing self re-infection. In such instances, your partner should also be screened and treated...
But as long as you are jut a "carrier", check with your facility's rules and regulations regarding infection control before returning to work, and you should be fine!
Hope that made sens? 
H~ | 
| 97 members
1,379 guests 1,476
| 1 | | | 12 | | | 2 | | | 9 | | | 17 | | | 11 | | | 16 | | | 16 | | | 37 | | | 14 | | | 20 | | | 23 | | | 19 | | | 24 | | | 10 | |
|
Search Tags
Nursing News