MRSA, Is this true?

Boog'sCRRN246, RN · Mar 13, 2010

I tend to agree with the statement, but these days you don't even need to be doing direct patient care to acquire MRSA. You can acquire MRSA at the gym or anywhere else in the community for that matter.

IGiveTheShots · Mar 13, 2010

There have been studies done (although regrettably I'm too lazy to find sources) where nurses' nares have been swabbed for MRSA and the majority tested positive. I assume this is because people who have it (and have normal immune systems), have it in trace amounts. Its everywhere, not just the hospitals. So honestly, its really not surprising.

juliaann · Mar 13, 2010

I posted that quote. I probably shouldn't have, since I don't have studies supporting that information. But I hear it all the time from nurses in my hospital, and based on my (admittedly limited) study of microbiology, it really doesn't surprise me that it could be true. Strains of Staph are normal microbiota in our systems, and we have all sorts of flora that can be harmful in the right internal environmental conditions that otherwise don't cause any signs or symptoms of infection.

Anyway, the point I was trying to make in that conversation is that the OP needs to be comfortable coming in contact with disease, microbes, and illness, because he/she WILL. And he/she needs to not let that impact the degree of care he/she gives, or the way they view and treat infected patients.

I will certainly edit my post if that is not accurate. I'd be interested in learning more myself, so that in the future I will have sources to back up my statements.

Anyone?

Crux1024 · Mar 13, 2010

Just as a comparison...

For Micro class, we all swabbed our noses and spread on blood agar. Out of about 40 students, only 2 had grown Staph Aureus (i was one! yay me), it would have taken further testing to see if it was methicllin resistant...Surprsing to me. Since Most of us worked in healthcare too.

IGiveTheShots · Mar 13, 2010

http://tahilla.typepad.com/mrsawatch/2008/12/highly-resistant-bacteria-common-in-er-workers.html

Interesting. There are also relevant links to other studies on that site.

juliaann · Mar 13, 2010

Thanks for the link, IGiveTheShots, that's interesting. So I should amend my quote from "...chances are high..." to "...chances are higher than the general public..." I am glad to see that there is a correlation between working in healthcare and MRSA, so that at least the point I was trying to make is still valid, and the nurses that I've heard this from are coming from a basis in real findings - although it appears they were also speaking with some degree of hyperbole (which is also apparently a flaw of mine). I will edit my comment and add that link, so that I don't perpetuate misinformation.

The point I was trying to make, though, is that even despite using our PPE 100% correct 100% of the time, there are still risks to our health in healthcare jobs. Whenever you come in daily contact with body fluids, sharps, sick people, sputum, ect. - there's a risk that is likely greater than most other jobs, and that should be considered when choosing a healthcare profession.

Bormio · Mar 13, 2010

I got MRSA from my son's football uniform! They kids don't wash their uniforms during the season - I guess it is unlucky. At the end of the season, I washed the uniform to return it to the school. You can't imagine how nasty that uniform was! Well, I picked up MRSA from it. Six months later, I had my nose swabbed and it was negative after treatment. I wasn't working at the time, but was concerned that I wouldn't get hired to work in a hospital because I had MRSA, but HR told me that everyone basically carries it who works in patient care.

Blove86 · Mar 13, 2010

I recently had an infection from scratching too hard (ecezma) and it was the most horrible thing ever, and yea I had to miss a week of clinicals for it

twentytenRN · Mar 13, 2010

...nurses' nares have been swabbed for MRSA and the majority tested positive.

I've also heard this to be true. I'd bet a large lot of us are already colonized with it. Kinda like chronically ill kiddos that are in and out of the hospitals... a lot of them are colonized with normally nasty bugs like Pseudomonas and such.

RNandRRT · Mar 13, 2010

This comment was posted in the CNA forum. I wanted to ask the general forum, where RN's post, if this is true. I find this kind I of hard to believe. And if not true, the statement is rather careless, if not dangerous. Here is the quote:
"I agree with most of the above. If you've worked in direct patient care for more than a few months, chances are high that you have MRSA."

I certainly understand the concern for misinformation, but I don't get the "dangerous" part of it. Too dramatic. And google would certainly bring you more immediate results if you were truly this concerned with saving the forum from the OP, then waiting for anecdotal postings.

In the quick look I did on google, it certainly appears the healthcare population has a higher infection percentage than the general population.

Good luck.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Mar 13, 2010

This comment was posted in the CNA forum. I wanted to ask the general forum, where RN's post, if this is true. I find this kind I of hard to believe. And if not true, the statement is rather careless, if not dangerous. Here is the quote:
"I agree with most of the above. If you've worked in direct patient care for more than a few months, chances are high that you have MRSA."

Sounds right to me. I had to do a big project on MRSA for my Micro class a couple years ago and I remember seeing this in my research as well.