Infection Control for Healthcare Level 2 (VTQ)

55 videos, 2 hours and 36 minutes

Course Content

MRSA Prevention

Video 19 of 55
3 min 8 sec
English
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To prevent healthcare-associated MRSA, Hospital staff, patients and visitors should follow simple hygiene measures to help prevent the spread of MRSA and stop the infection.

Hospital patients can reduce their risk of infection by always washing their hands after using the toilet or commode, always washing their hands or cleaning them with a hand wipe immediately before and after eating a meal, making sure their bed area is regularly cleaned and reporting any unclean toilet or bathroom facilities to staff. 

Hospital visitors can reduce the chance of spreading MRSA to other people by not sitting on the patient's bed and by cleaning their hands before and after entering the ward. They should use hand wipes or hand gel before touching the person they are visiting. Hand gel or hand wipe dispensers are often placed by patients' beds and at the entrance to hospital wards and clinical areas.

Hospital staff should maintain very high hygiene standards and take extra care when treating patients with MRSA: Staff should thoroughly wash and dry their hands before and after caring for a patient, before and after touching any potentially contaminated equipment or dressings, after bed-making and before handling food. If hands are not visibly dirty, a fast-acting antiseptic solution such as a hand wipe or gel may be used if not. Hands should be washed with soap and water.

Hospital staff should wear disposable gloves when they come into contact with an open wound, for example, when changing dressings, handling needles or inserting an intravenous drip. Hands should be washed after gloves have been removed. The hospital environment, including floors, toilets and beds, should be kept as clean and dry as possible.   Patients with a known or suspected MRSA infection should be isolated and transferred between wards when this is strictly necessary. All these steps aim to reduce the chance of patients infecting themselves and others. 

There are ways to prevent community-associated MRSA. Washing your hands regularly and having frequent showers or baths will help reduce the risk of catching or passing on MRSA outside the hospital. Keep your fingernails short and clean because bacteria can grow under larger nails.    Do not share any products that come into contact with your skin, such as soaps, lotions, creams and cosmetics. Do not share unwashed towels. Do not share any personal items that come into contact with the skin, such as razors, nail files, combs or hairbrushes, without thoroughly cleaning them first.

If the patient develops skin or soft tissue MRSA infection, cover it with a dressing unless you are told not to by the doctor in charge of your care. Wash your hands after touching affected areas of skin and potentially infected materials, such as used dressings.

Finally, with any procedure, you must dispose of any potentially infected material promptly and safely in a suitable dustbin or similar container designed to dispose of hazardous material.