Would be interested in what other UK nurses think of this and whether worth doing in other Trusts. Nice if it definitely works and other trusts adopt something similar
Specializes in ITU, Surg, District & School Nurse.
While I was on the district we had to swab all pts with wounds pre admission and they were not admitted if they were MRSA +ve. The hospital where I work automatically barrier nurse and swab all transfers from other hospitals.
I wanted to ask a simple question. How cases of MRSA septicaemia have there been proven to be due to peripheral iv cannulas? I am not talking about central lines.
I think people should look at these so call infection measures closely. The fundamental problem is that wards are over crowded and patients from nursing homes are more than likely to have MRSA before they come to hospital.
I do aggree that an IV cannula should be kept in as little as possible.
However I do think our so called infection control measures have little if any evidence behind them.
You can insert an IV cannula under aseptic conditions but you should also be handling them using the same aseptic techniques.
Moreover now the way venflon dressings are being put on also coming under scrutiny. The hospital I work in has now introduced a bare below the elbows policy. No watches on my non-dominant hand because it is an infection risk. Level of evidence? Level D ie it makes sense from a theoretical point of view but not proven by a RCT.
I do not know how many cases there have been due to cannulas but someone is just as just as much risk of developing a MRSA bacterima as from a cannula as from a central line because this a point of access for bacteria which maybe isn't going into a central vein but is still going into a vein the same goes for catheters these are invasive devices that are allowing bacteria to enter the body & cause infections.
I think you are wrong about infection control policies have little evidence behind them, try speaking to your infection control & prevention department nurses, and you will find the policies are set on evidenced based best practice, also some of the best practice policies are now becoming government policy so will mean you will have a legal requirement to ensure things are done (but can't remember what at the moment, but I will check).
The bare below the elbow policy is a government policy, you should not be wearing a wrist watch at all, no matter what your dominant hand is, it has been shown that there is a heavy bacteria growth under watches. Not only is it infection control risk due to the bacteria but also a moving and handling risk as you risk injuring the patient with it.
UHm, hate to be the voice of doom and gloom but this is weird. Here our patients are all screened for MRSA and VRE if they have been admitted to any hospital within the last six months. Transfers between wards are screened as a routine step. Prisoners are screened automatically.
MRSA has been found in wounds, when the nares and groins have come back negative.
MRSA is in the community and can be acquired there and brought to hospital.
Kinda like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
AZ hopeful
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While I was on the district we had to swab all pts with wounds pre admission and they were not admitted if they were MRSA +ve. The hospital where I work automatically barrier nurse and swab all transfers from other hospitals.