Mrsa

Methicillin Resistant Staph Infection There are many ethical issues today that face the health industry. To name a few popular ones are abortion, physician-assisted suicide and stem cell research. Many people have strong opinions about these issues that support one side or the other. However, there is one issue that may not be so widely spread. How about issues that arise within health care workers that have come in contact with viruses and diseases on the job' To narrow down the scope, how about when nurses test positive for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)' Should nurses that test positive for MRSA and have active respiratory infections or open wounds be allowed to work with patients' Or should they be required to take a medical sick leave until their symptoms subside' Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infection, also known as MRSA, is a drug resistant staph infection that usually begins as a pimple or boil on the skin and that can also spread to other parts of the body, including the lunges and bones causing pneumonia. This infection occurred mostly in hospitals and nursing homes. Doctors are now using two antibiotics, one called clindamycin that can be given as a pill are liquid, and another antibiotic called vancomyclin that is only available intravenously. The uses of the two antibiotics have decreased over the years simple because MRSA is becoming resistant to both drugs. That leaves researcher fighting to find a drug to work against the infection to help save lives of kids and adults. Nurses contract MRSA typically through physical contact. Nurses hands may become contaminated by contact with patients, or surfaces in the workplace, and medical devices that are contaminated with body fluids containing MRSA. Researchers reviewed information from 169 studies in 37 countries, surrounding more than 33,300 individuals, to reach their conclusions. "Poor infection control practices were implicated in both acquisition and transmission of MRSA by personnel, but even good adherence to infection control, including masks and hand hygiene did not entirely prevent transmission of MRSA from staff to patients. It is managements responsibility to make sure all nurses are using the standard infection control precaution to prevent the transmission of MRSA. Below is a list of the standard infection contral precautions: • Wash hands immediately after gloves are removed, between patient contacts • Wear gloves when touching blood, body fluids and contaminated items. • Wear a mask and face shield during all procedures that generate blood and body fluids • Wear a gown during procedures that generate blood and body fluids • Disinfect and sterilize all patient care equipment If I were in a position of power, I would address MRSA as an issue and a problem within my health care facilities, for both patients and employees. The first step it would take would be screening and Isolating patients with MRSA infections. Then I would address employees concerns by recognizing MRSA as a work related infection and doing appropriate and timely testing, treatment and education for it is the best approach. Per the information as stated above, MRSA is a critical issue in today's health care field. The infection not only affects patients, but it can also affect the healthcare staff as well. A good method to keep the infection from reaching epidemic proportions is to practice good hygiene techniques. These techniques include frequent hand washings before and after treatment of patients, the use of masks and gloves. Also workers should wear street clothes into the hospital, change into scrubs once at work, then change back at the end of shifts. Adhering to the previously mentioned practices will help keep exposure risks low. The world would be a much better place without the presence of super infections, but until a cure is found, all people in the communities as well as hospital environments need to recognize the severity of the problem and do their part to keep the virus subdued.