MRSA scare !

[Keepstanding]

Just wondering if you who work in the hospital/LTC facilities are seeing and increase in CA-MRSA. I work as a school nurse and the panic among teacher's and parents is unreal !

Thanks for your input,

___________

Praiser

[swee2000]

In my experience, it's "MRSA, C-diff, VRE....same story, different day, different patient". An unfortunate occurrance to have soooooooo many cases.

You know what really bothers me about all this? When the visitors(who come to see a patient in the hospital who has an active case of one of the superbugs) actually argue(!!) and resist when told they have to wear the isolation gowns/ gloves/masks while visiting the patient, even after you've educated them that it's for their protection, as well as the patient's, other visitors & patients, and the staffs protection. As if we are trying to inconvenience them!! Or the visitors who, after being educated to remove the isolation gear & wash their hands before leaving a patient's room, attempt to do the opposite because they are: only going to the bathroom just down the hall; going to get a drink; or stepping just outside the patient room to answer their cell phone, etc. And then when you catch them and politely tell them that the isolation garb can't be worn outside the patient's room, they give you more of an attitude. AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

[nyapa, RN]

There are increasing case of kids with Mrsa usually a skin infection and ear infections. The kids aren't necessarily immunocompromised.(sp)

Good point. And you made me do a bit of research too! This is what I found:

over
• overcrowding
  
• frequent skin to skin contact
  
• compromised skin surfaces
  
• poor hygiene
  
• intravenous drug use
  
• serious underlying illnesses
  
• previous use of ABs
  
• recent hospitalisation
  
• young children especially in day care centres.
  

I guess I'm used to dealing with adults, so didn't realise that children in themselves are a risk group. I'm used to seeing adults, most of whom fit the above criteria, especially diabetics, and those with multiple illnesses.

[ukstudent]

While working in pediatrics I saw an increase in numbers. I have see infants a few weeks old, have to have surgery with packing and IV antibiotics. Also saw multiple teenagers with MRSA, mostly in areas that are shaved (underarms and groins). One teenage boy that shaved for his girlfriend ended up with packing in 2 places on his member. With team sports and locker rooms being a great place for the spread of this, I am not totally surprised by the panic. I do wish that the news would also report that it can be contained with good hand washing and disinfection of sports mats, equipment etc.

[EmmaG, RN]

I guess I'm used to dealing with adults, so didn't realise that children in themselves are a risk group.

Which is why for the life of me I'll NEVER understand people who insist on bringing their children (and infants!) to nasty, dirty, germ-filled, MRSA-fied hospitals when they come to visit... And then allow them to crawl all over the floor!

UGH.

[swee2000]

Exactly!!!!!! Just dealt with a patient like that last week. Ugh!!!

[nyapa, RN]

Which is why for the life of me I'll NEVER understand people who insist on bringing their children (and infants!) to nasty, dirty, germ-filled, MRSA-fied hospitals when they come to visit... And then allow them to crawl all over the floor!

UGH.

...and then complain/stress about MRSA...

[wooh, BSN, RN]

I have seen it so frequently that all boils are presumed MRSA now. Nothing a good old I and D cant take care of.

If it's done right. I'm sooooo tired of badly done (not thorough enough) I&Ds done in the ER that have to come back a few days later for admission and IV antibiotics. Or even worse, the ones done in the ER that were cultured and MRSA negative, that by the time they come back for their admission and IV antibiotics are NOW positive for MRSA.

Logically I know it would just exacerbate the superbug problem, but I'd be all for clindamycin in the drinking water around here if it could save some of the gowning I have to do at work every day.

[santhony44, MSN, RN, NP]

Which is why for the life of me I'll NEVER understand people who insist on bringing their children (and infants!) to nasty, dirty, germ-filled, MRSA-fied hospitals when they come to visit... And then allow them to crawl all over the floor!

UGH.

I think we ought to go back to the days of nobody under age 13 allowed to visit.

I understand if someone is in the hospital long-term, or perhaps near the end of life, but why on earth bring a little one to the hospital to see Grandma when Grandma will be home in two days??

And, of course, if somebody catches something it's going to be all the hospital's fault!

[Semperdave]

"what they should be doing, instead of playing up the sensationalism"

sensationalism sells papers and keeps you tuned until after the commercial break. period. that is the concern of the media. if a thousand people die but they can get one more person to watch their stupid a$$ show that is fine.

(maybe a slight generalization, but you get the point)

david

[Nightcrawler, BSN, RN]

Drug-resistant organisms are fast becoming the norm. I am getting a bit irritated at the media turning this into a panic.

I agree, the media is jumping on this whole MRSA thing as if it is new, and they have not reported on it many times before. I had to roll my eyes at one shot I saw on the news of a man in a mask, gloves and white jumpsuit scrubbing down school desks as if there had been a biological attack.

I am just waiting for patients to start refusing their antibiotics as unnecessary because "I heard on the news that MRSA was caused by antibiotic overuse". It hasn't happened yet, but I guarantee that I will hear it in the next two weeks.

Unfortunately this whole scare thing will make people leery of antibiotics and even MORE people will stop their meds before they take the whole course, just making resistance even worse.

This is what happens when the media blows things out of proportion.

OKAY, rant over. :angryfire

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

Just wondering if you who work in the hospital/LTC facilities are seeing and increase in CA-MRSA. I work as a school nurse and the panic among teacher's and parents is unreal !

Thanks for your input,

___________

Praiser

You can thank CNN, Fox News, etc, and their sensationalistic reporting. They've done the same with SARS, Avian Flu, West Nile, you name it. Their object is to increase viewership and make money.

[kanzi monkey]

Logically I know it would just exacerbate the superbug problem, but I'd be all for clindamycin in the drinking water around here if it could save some of the gowning I have to do at work every day.