Conditions & Treatments

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus - How to prevent?

How do hospital staff keep MRSA from spreading?

There are already several measures in place to prevent the spread of MRSA in hospitals.

Proper hand hygiene is very important. Staff either wash their hands or use alcohol-based handrubs before and after attending to patients and after touching objects in contact with patients. Proper hand hygiene is required for contact with all patients, not just those with MRSA.
Additional “contact precautions” are required when staff come into contact with patients who are MRSA carriers. These include the wearing of gowns and gloves, or a mask if a patient carries MRSA in their sputum. Patients carrying MRSA may also need to be separated from other patients to prevent spreading of the germs.
Patient rooms and supplies are regularly cleaned and disinfected with appropriate solutions. This prevents MRSA (or other potentially harmful bacteria) from getting on people’s hands and clothes.
Hospital staff adopt defined integrated practices for high-risk patients, which include specific equipment and processes (e.g. ventilators and urinary catheters). These have been shown to reduce the risk of the spread of MRSA.
Hospitals may perform “screening cultures” for admitted or pre-surgical patients. This is done by taking a swab (on a cotton stick) of the patient’s nose or other body area. If a patient is found to carry MRSA, additional contact precautions are taken and treatment may be required prior to surgery.

How do you help prevent the spread of MRSA in the hospital?

Use alcohol-based handrubs before and after entering the ward, before touching the person you are visiting, after coming into contact with a patient or objects in contact with a patient. Dispensers of alcohol gel or handrubs are often placed by patients’ beds and at the entrance to clinical areas.
Wash your hands with soap and water before and after eating a meal and after using the toilet.
Avoid walking around to touch other people or other people’s items unnecessarily. Do not sit on other patients’ beds.
Do not share personal items like towels or shavers.
If you are a patient, advise visitors who are unwell or who are young not to visit you if possible.
Do not feel shy to remind everyone to use the alcohol- based handrubs before and after attending to you.