MRSA in LTC

[gagezoie]

Just curious as to what your LTC facilities do with a MRSA pos. resident. Are they in private rooms,, etc. isolation

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

It all depends on where the MRSA is. If it's in the nares, we treat for 10 days with bactroban. We don't keep those residents isolated or have any special precautions for them.

If it's in a wound-contact precautions....same for urine. No private room needed.

If they are MRSA positive in their sputum and are coughing, we keep them in a private room. If they go out for therapy or whatever, then they wear a mask.

Guaranteed if you cultured your staff, at least 50% would test positive for MRSA in the nares.

[Nascar nurse, ASN, RN]

Same as above, but will add that we attempt to "cohort" residents as we are able (sometimes we get bed locked and it's harder to do). Example... if one resident has MRSA, we don't chose to room them with a fresh (clean) hip surgery resident.

[nightmare, RN]

When we first started getting residents with MRSA they were practically barrier nursed! Now we stick to universal precautions and the residents are pretty much free to come and go as they please. We have had at least one resident with MRSA for the last 10 years (not the same one!) The most curious being one with MRSA in his eye!(how did they find that out?!)

[nghtfltguy, BSN, RN]

It all depends on where the MRSA is. If it's in the nares, we treat for 10 days with bactroban. We don't keep those residents isolated or have any special precautions for them.

If it's in a wound-contact precautions....same for urine. No private room needed.

If they are MRSA positive in their sputum and are coughing, we keep them in a private room. If they go out for therapy or whatever, then they wear a mask.

Guaranteed if you cultured your staff, at least 50% would test positive for MRSA in the nares.

i wish this were true... 50%...

i learned in micro that it is almost 100% of nursing staff have it in there nares after working in a medical environment for a year.....

we did cultures and most of the class had it....

oh well.... wash your hands is all i have to say~~

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

It's amazing how much of my grandmother's advice still makes sense in this age of MRSA:

1. Eat your vegetables (vitamins boost the immune system)

2. Wash your hands

3. Don't pick your nose!

[ktwlpn, LPN]

Our local hospitals are swabbing ALL admitted patients. Every one of our residents has come back +....We can no longer room anyone with a foley,any type of feeding tube or wound with a MRSA person unless we know they are +Our residents are like chess pieces now.If the resident has URI symtoms and is + they are going to a private room and we are running out of THEM.I'm sure if we swabbed everyone we would all be +-residents and staff alike...

[angelaQAICnurse]

Has anyone had experience with MRSA around PEG sites? We recently had a couple of residents culture Positive. They are not on the same wing. We are doing handwashing check offs, tx observations, and MRSA inservice. I have tracked both residents for common denominators. We are focusing extra education with these employees. Does anyone have any other suggestions.

[Blackcat99]

I use to work in a LTC facility. There was a patient who had MRSA I believe it was in his urine. They put a post-op abdominal surgical patient in his room and he then got MRSA in his abdominal wound.