Superbugs here???

blueheaven · Nov 9, 2007

We all know MRSA has been around in our facilities forever. Does anyone here actually feel there has been an increase in MRSA, Staph A, or any other superbug ?
How does your facility deal with docs who continue to ignore handwashing ?

Not really, I think the media needed something to hype and this month it was MRSA. Remember the Bird Flu???? We (the nurses stay on them) point em in the direction of the gel. Push comes to shove, I would write them up and let infection control deal with them.

Noryn · Nov 9, 2007

Well I feel there is definitely an increase in the community acquired MRSA. It is a bit concerning because it is making healthy people sick and seems to be more virulent than normal staph.

I just dont think it is feasible to get rid of these bugs, How long have we been playing this game of cat and mouse with bugs and antibiotics? Decades?

edchunt, BSN, RN · Nov 9, 2007

Not too much in the psychiatric hospital. Just alot of super bad behavior for the most part.

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Nov 10, 2007

I guess I have been a nurse for too long but.....

I remember when every facility was clean, really clean. Today there are places in every facility that badly need a good cleaning. Even the area outside cardiac surgery waiting room was a mess the last time I was there. RGH has a dirty ER and it never gets the cleaning it deserves. PMC has a few places that need work on each floor. BARH too. The worst is VA. Wow, no words for what I saw last time I was there on the top floor.

I remember when handwashing was normal. Linens were really clean(last time hubby was in hospital the sheets had old tape stuck to them, when I complained, the nurse brought me new ones, told me to change his bed, I did but I told him he was going to help so he could learn a trick or two.)

Antibiotics are overused by doctors today. I read an interesting article that stated Tylenol was often the best friend of doctors if they would be brave enough to use it.

Noryn · Nov 11, 2007

Yeah housekeeping has consistently been cut and many administrations expect nurses to pick up the slack but there is just no way a nurse can adequately clean the room while taking care of patients.

That kind of surprised me about the VA, when I did clinicals there it was extremely clean, a little out of date, but clean. Otherwise I agree, too many hospitals are neglecting cleanliness.