Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is an organism commonly found on the skin of healthy people. It can cause infections when the skin is broken or operated on. There are many antiobiotics readily available to treat MRSA infection.
What precautions are taken at The Lister Hospital to prevent MRSA?
At The Lister Hospital, minimising the risk of hospital-acquired infections for each patient, including MRSA, is a priority. This is achieved through continuous vigilance, robust infection surveillance systems and ongoing training of staff at all levels in hospital hygiene. Our entire care infection control procedures are supervised and reinforced by our experienced and dedicated Infection Control Nurses and Consultant Medical advisers.
This commitment to the highest quality standard has successfully kept the incidence of MRSA infection at very low levels. Almost all of our occurrences of MRSA are imported and contained. Secondary spread is very unusual.
Other factors that contribute to our high quality record include:
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Individual rooms with private en suite facilities for almost all patients before and after any treatment or operation, unless the specialist resources of high dependency or intensive care are necessary
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High nurse to patient ratios, increasing the time available for individual attention and ensuring the highest quality of care and hygiene.
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On-site cleaning staff who work to high specifications of hygiene and cleanliness, available 24 hours every day to respond to any need that may arise.
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A rapid and comprehensive room cleaning regime between the discharge of one patient and the admission of the next.
As part of their routine post-operative care, all patients admitted to The Lister Hospital including day cases are screened for MRSA by taking a swab from the anterior part of the nose (the most common site of staphylococcal carriage). Should the patient be an MRSA carrier, the procedure may be deferred pending eradication treatment, or if clinically necessary to proceed, will be nursed in strict isolation ("barrier nursing") to reduce the possibility of transmission to healthcare staff or other patients.
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