Hi, I graduated last year from school...From that time, I seen quite a few patients with MRSA...Like many CNAs and other staff dont even know sometimes that patients have the disease..Most of the staff acted normal and just wore gloves and then good handwashing...
I have to care for a patient that has MRSA..He is infected with signs and symptoms of MRSA..His skin is in bad shape and has many dressings on him because of the disease..
I think you are right to be careful about infectious diseases. Many folks treat them too cavalierly as I see it.
There's a difference between being cautious....what most nurses are....and totally freaked out, which is what the OP is.
Bala, did you know that the current theory is that MRSA is possibly a normal organism on everyone's skin? Like E. coli or yeast, it's there but it's not a problem unless it gets out of control. If this thought makes you panic and you tear through your house sterilizing everything, then perhaps you need to think about another profession.
Hi, I graduated last year from school...From that time, I seen quite a few patients with MRSA...Like many CNAs and other staff dont even know sometimes that patients have the disease..Most of the staff acted normal and just wore gloves and then good handwashing...
I have to care for a patient that has MRSA..He is infected with signs and symptoms of MRSA..His skin is in bad shape and has many dressings on him because of the disease..
If you were in my position what would you do?
Good hand washing, keep equiment clean. The same things you should be doing for any pt. That is why we have universal precautions. There are many other disease entities that you should be minding universal precautiosn (for all you grammer police out there, that's minding like brits say). Many people (medical staff ), are carriers of mrsa. So , always use good technique. As nurses, dr's ma's cna's , or who ever, we care for pt's with many diseases, we do not discriminate or single them out for their illness, we care for them.
Exactly what i was thinking. ALL MRSA patients should be in contact isolation if they are known to be colonized, have active infection, or have not had the proper number of negative cultures to clear them. If it is unknown and cultures are obtained, they should be isolated until the culture results are back excluding MRSA. Otherwise, your basic infection control policy should be sufficient to protect you and other patients until it is shown.
All right here's my 2 cents on MRSA patients. I work in LTC. We have had over the past year 4 MRSA patients. We now have 3,
1- it depends on where the MRSA is!
a- one res has it in his wounds- gown and glove up
b- 2nd res has it in wounds and urine- gown and glove up-
res also has a foley
2- Proper handwashing is a must... Thankfully on my shift we're nuts
about this and wash up to our elbows. Go ahead and laugh!
3- It's all about patient and family teaching, when they're families
come in they stop at the nurses station and we have a box of
gloves ready for them.
I know you seem worried. But too me MRSA isn't that hign on my list of concerns... We've had these patients for so long that it becomes second nature after awhile. They're still human and should be treated as such. Follow your protocol and if you're not sure go ask what it is and for a review. Look at it this way- How many patients have you taken care of that have MRSA or something else and you don't know about it????
I read, you can get MRSA through just casual contact like touching skin or the bed sheets!!
That is what Personal Protective Equipment is for. Whenever you are in doubt, protect yourself...especially so that you don't contract anything OR spread it through your unit.......
Please read your Policy and Procedure Manual that is located on every unit or consult with a preceptor/supervisor.....about any question you have...you are fairly a new nurse and you need to feel comfortable about the care your provide.
Not knowing could be dangerous to you and others......
You would be surprised to know that everybody and I mean everybody comes into contact with MRSA everyday, in the supermarket, gym,schools, public transport the list is endless. But not everybody will become MRSA positive, the best way forward is as others have said good handwashing. hand cleansing. There is no need to be afraid of MRSA you need to respect it and deal with it appropriatly.
Specializes in Cardiac/Telemetry, Hospice, Home Health.
Bela Shark, I did not get the message that you were "totally freaked out" and I applaud you for asking questions. I received mixed messages about MRSA when I was in Nursing school and then when I got my first MRSA pt had to get clarification. In my case it turned out the nurses who were training me WERE being very careless with infection control.
A "you should know this by now" attitude does nothing but discourage new nurses from asking questions. Again I applaud you for addressing this.
Bela Shark, I did not get the message that you were "totally freaked out" and I applaud you for asking questions. I received mixed messages about MRSA when I was in Nursing school and then when I got my first MRSA pt had to get clarification. In my case it turned out the nurses who were training me WERE being very careless with infection control.
A "you should know this by now" attitude does nothing but discourage new nurses from asking questions. Again I applaud you for addressing this.
I agree with this. As a student nurse who will be finishing soon (and I know full well that I will have LOTS of questions), a new nurse who doesn't ask questions either is 1) a genius who is absolutely amazing, or 2) a nurse that I don't want working on me.:uhoh21:
Please don't discourage us from asking questions - that's how we learn! I didn't think the OP seemed "totally freaked out".
When I took my microbiology class, we all tested our nares for staph infection (not necessarily MRSA, but possibly) and everyone of us who worked in health care, carried staph in our nares! I was pretty amazed about that.
Of course, gowning and gloving is important to protect ourselves, but more importantly it is for the other patients you will come in contact with. Personally, I have never heard of a health care worker who contracted MRSA because of exposure at work. (Although, I am sure it DOES happen...occasionally). My facility has a well established system to deal with it. It is flagged in the pt's chart, there is a contact precautions sign on the door and gowns and gloves are kept outside the room for quick gowning and gloving before entering room. If I am going into the room to hang an IV antibiotic or check on the patient, I do not always gown up. That is left up to nursing judgment.
I believe that if your immune system is normal and that you do not have any other underlying illness or condition that depletes your internal resources, you are safe against MRSA. I would bet that our immune systems are fighting it off frequently and we have probably built up a decent immunity against it.
Of course it is smart to protect yourself, but to spend time worrying about it is counterproductive...just like avoiding risk factors for heart disease, you do the best you can to protect yourself and then you need to trust your body to do what it needs to do....
Specializes in Addictions, Corrections, QA/Education.
I see a lot of MRSA where I work... A LOT! It is mostly skin we see. They are put in isolation and get disposable meal trays. We wear gloves definitely. We only wear a gown if we suspect that we will come in contact with it otherwise. A wound positive for MRSA should be covered at all times especially when its draining. I am sure its on bed sheets and if you feel you will come in contact with the sheets just wear a gown.
As long as you are careful you will be fine. Just wear your PPE and wash your hands well and you will be fine.
MRSA is such a common thing now... its in the community!
RNsRWe, ASN, RN
3 Articles; 10,428 Posts
Don't you have these patients on contact isolation? Use the precautions put in place for just that reason.
Gown, gloves, handwashing. Don't take equipment in or out of room unless it can be sterilized on the spot. Basically, following contact protocol.