Do nurses get MRSA easily?

vloho · Jun 4, 2006

MRSA is so intergrated into the pubic now , we take care of people that ,for whatever reason , cant get their arms up , forgot how to cover the mouth , coughing in our faces for 8 -12 or 16 hr shifts . How often are ABT 's changed in mid steam ,one started before the C&S come back, then changed. Work in LTC any length of time 9 chanses out of 10 we all have it .

firstaiddave907 · Jun 4, 2006

Cant you prevent it by washing your hands very well after takeing care of every pacient?

vloho · Jun 4, 2006

Not if somenoe just coughed right in your face, you can't wear a mask all day long ,and outside an arms length it tough to do for the pateint.

froglady77 · Jun 4, 2006

Our hospital puts MRSA in isolation still, I have heard other hospitals are not even treating this anymore because it is so common. Is this true?

MissMonica · Nov 7, 2007

I was just thinking about this very same thing this morning. I'm exposed to MRSA patients all the time and worry about bringing it to my family.

Ditto! Some days 5 of my 6 patients would be on contact or airborne precautions for one thing or another, particularly MRSA. Im so glad we are talking about this.

swee2000 · Nov 8, 2007

Ditto! Some days 5 of my 6 patients would be on contact or airborne precautions for one thing or another, particularly MRSA. Im so glad we are talking about this.

I just posted this on another thread, but felt it applied here as well, especially the last couple sentences of the 2nd-paragraph.

This past summer, I took care of a patient who had an active case of MRSA in her urine. She also had a foley, which had been placed at the LTC facility(she resided at) prior to this hospital admission. In fact, the cath had been in for quite some, yet it still had the original bag connected to it. Believe me when I say it all looked gross, for lack of a better word.

On the "day of the incident", the RN decided to change the tubing/bag and asked me to stand by in case she needed a 2nd set of hands. As luck would have it, when she disconnected the cath from the tubing, some urine(and I mean more than just a few drops) sprayed out and splashed me in the face near my mouth. After washing my face with soap and water several(!!!) times, I notified the Charge Nurse of what happened. Initially, she did not think anything had to be done, other than filing a report and washing the site. However, to cover her rear & mine, she called the House Supervisor, who then called the ER doctor who said that I had to report to the ER STAT(!!) for evaluation. Trust me, this is not the way to get quick service in the emergency room. In the end, the doctor said the chances of me being infected were slim to none because no urine actually entered my mouth &/or came close to any mucous membranes. Also, since I did not have any open sores or cuts on my face, it would be hard for the bacteria to enter my skin. But here's the most interesting comment from the doctor: "Testing you for MRSA would be pointless because everybody has MRSA in their nares. And just because it's present in someone's nares doesn't mean they are actively contagious".

So, after spending ~2-1/2 hours in the ER and getting paid for it, I was allowed to return to work with no restrictions and no required follow-ups.

Brownii,RN · Sep 10, 2008

okay, here goes. i am a new nurse. i am fanatical about washing before and after patients. (my instructors always scared the crap out of us!)

i found out yesterday that i most likely have contracted mrsa in a scratch on my leg. i know, what??!! i honestly don't think that i just came upon the bacteria, although my manager says that it must have been something i did. (my hospital bills are climbing!) what do you think about the possibility of my getting contaminated from someone else's negligence? there are so many staff members who never wash! (i know. unbelieveable!)

help! :confused:

JHansen · Sep 10, 2008

There was a very odd case of MRSA in my workplace last month, a patient who had mrsa had an open wound and it dropped onto a nurses shoe who was doing wound care. She went home had her shoes in her house, her dog had chewed on the shoes and then played with her son, her son caught MRSA from the dog. How crazy is that?

**brissygal, BSN, RN** · Sep 10, 2008

Absolutely think the answer is better hand washing techniques and wearing an apron and gloves on those patients known to have the infection.

However one Doctor said to me, we all have it......it lives in your nose etc. He went on......but I switched off baffled with his response.

thats absurd · Sep 12, 2008

Absolutely think the answer is better hand washing techniques and wearing an apron and gloves on those patients known to have the infection.
However one Doctor said to me, we all have it......it lives in your nose etc. He went on......but I switched off baffled with his response.

Actually.. the Doc was absolutely right. We have bacteria ALL over us, in us, everywhere.. It doesn't become an infection until it outmatches our immune system or accesses a cavity or area where our immune system is less effective or ineffective. Resistant strains are, maybe surprisingly, extremely common as well. They just don't make the headlines until they break past the skin or dive into the blood. Ask a microbiologist.

I worked with two others on a study that looked for resistant S. Aureus in places you might not expect: grocery stores, a drug store, and even a Jack in the Box. Guess what? Oxicillin-resistant strains confirmed in all three of those places and more. It's everywhere.. even on your "clean" table at Jack in the Box.

**brissygal, BSN, RN** · Sep 12, 2008

Hey thats absurd (great name)!

Sounds lovely eh!