Contact isolation for MRSA question

[*ac*]

I've heard that we are all probably colonized for MRSA, right?

So if a patient is only colonized for MRSA; i.e., positive nasal swab, what makes them different from us? What's the point of putting them on contact precautions?

We also put all pts who've been previously hospitalized on contact for MRSA.

What is the point, if we are personally colonized with it already anyway?

[tferdaise]

Got a questions, where I work we have contact iso rooms for patients who cultures come back + for MRSA. Let me give you some info on this and I would love some feedback.

23 yr old male who's wound was swabed 2 days prior (on admission), goes to surgery for a debredment of woud. He was allowed to leave his room to go smoke. While in surgery I (the nurse) get a phone call from lab, pt's wound CX is + for MRSA. So when patient comes back from Surgery he is placed in the contact iso room. He was explained why he was place in this room and I explained to him what MRSA was. He was very insisting on going down stairs and smoke. His would is on his L foot, his drsg in C,D,I, no drainage at all. So I wraped his food in a plastic bag, had him wash his hands, and his girlfriend pushed him downstairs. He came back, got back into bed and was happy after that. Our infectious desease department wasn't happy with this, but of course, they do not have to deal with patients like the floor nurses have to.

So I'm asking you all this, what should be done with this, we (nurses) can not force patients to stay in thier rooms, some doctors say, if the patients don't want to complay with medical advice, then they should be d/c. I offered the pateint the nicotine patch but he refused it.

SO what can we do as nurses with this problem???