Preview

Mrsa and Patient safety

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1073 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Mrsa and Patient safety
MRSA

The patient safety problem of interest to me that I have chosen to talk about is MRSA.
“MRSA” stands for Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. Staphylococcus Aureus or “Staph Aureus” for short. ( SARI, 2007). MRSA is transferred from person to person through a bacteria (germs). Many people carry this germ. It is estimated that one in three people are carriers of this germ (CDC Gov 2013) but it is not always harmful - these people would have it on their skin or in their nose, but it is not considered dangerous until it enters the blood stream through a cut etc. This bacteria has become resistant to penicillin-based antibiotics. Resistance was first discovered in 1961. The reason it became resistant was because it built up an immunity to a penicillin-binding protein coded by a mobile genetic element termed the “methicillin-resistant” gene (mecA).(St James’s information leaflet.2006)
Many people today are walking around unaware they are carriers of this germ. The symptoms of MRSA are usually just mistaken for a spider bite or infected cut. The site may be swollen, a large red bump raised from the skin, warm to touch, painful, sore, full of puss or the patient may also have a fever. (CDC Gov, 2013). It is only confirmed by a swab test which is usually done by a health professional. If you are worried that you have MRSA or have any of these symptoms you should contact your doctor immediately to get a test and obtain information to start treating it.
The full screen for MRSA is done in hospitals by health professionals. The test can be done by taking swabs from any of the following: nasal, throat, groin, axilla, or any breaks in the skin (including ventricular assist device or drain exit sites or catheter urine). A urethral swab can also be taken as part of the full screening. These swabs are then sent for testing and the patient will be told as soon as possible if they have MRSA. (Royal Marsden, p4, 2010).
The patients most at risk are patients in

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Etiology- MRSA is caused by Staphylococcus aureus germs on the skin that start an infection in a surgical wound or open wound. Unnecessary use of antibiotics have, over time, increased the resistance of the germs to the antibiotics used to treat them.…

    • 340 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is normal for healthy people to have staph on their skin. Many of us do. Most of the time, it does not cause an infection or any symptoms. This is called “colonization” or “being colonized.” Someone who is colonized with MRSA can spread MRSA to other people.…

    • 705 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To understand Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, we must first understand Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococcus aureus is a spherical, or coccus, bacteria (MRSA). The bacteria usually appears is chains, bunches, or grape like clusters, (Gregory, 229). It is a gram-positive aerobic organism that causes skin infections and sometimes pneumonia, endocarditis and osteomyelitis (Beers, 1442). This infection commonly leads to abscess formations (Beers, 1442). Staphylococcus aureus is a coagulase positive bacterium, and is among those that are dangerous human pathogen because it has the ability to both be extremely virulent and its ability to develop antibiotic resistance, (Beers, 1442).…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Recently, reports of persons with "spider bites" presenting to emergency departments have reached near urban legend proportions, prompting many physicians to question the diagnosis of a brown recluse bite in nonendemic areas. The list of conditions that can present in a similar fashion to that of a brown recluse spider envenomation is extensive. A more likely explanation for this epidemic of spider bites is in fact community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) skin…

    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Salmonella Research Paper

    • 449 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Staphylococcus is a genus of the Gram-positive bacteria which appears as grape-like clusters structure when observed under the microscope. Staphylococcus genus can be grouped into not less than 40 species, where nine of them consist of 2 subspecies and one gas three subspecies. Staphylococcus was first found in the year if 1880 by surgeon A.Ogston during a surgical abscess in a knee joint. Until this day, average estimation of 20% of the human population are carriers of Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococcus aureus, one of the members of the Firmicutes, is commonly found in the respiratory tract or on the skin, causing skin irritation and infection and also sinusitis and respiratory infection (Ogston A 1984).…

    • 449 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Mrsa Thesis Statement

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Thesis Statement: MRSA is an infection caused by a strain of Staphylococcus that has become resistant to antibiotics commonly used to treat staph infections.…

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    According to the National Center for disease control and prevention, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus is a type of staph infection that is resistant to the usual antibiotics that are effective in treating other types of staph ("CDC - Definition of MRSA | MRSA Infections", 2010). Sometimes antibiotic resistant infections are called super bugs. This essay attempts to discover how it happens, how it can be prevented and possible treatments available.…

    • 1144 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (staph), is commonly found in pimples, infected cuts, and when people have colds ("Staphylococcus", 2014). Therefore, staph can be transmitted from person to person from contaminated hands. The…

    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Healthcare associated infections measures the transmission of diseases and/or bacteria between healthcare professionals and their patients. The measurement of transmissible infection diseases does not eliminate the chances in a hospital setting; rather, the day to day interaction with all healthcare workers. Hand hygiene contributes significantly to keeping patients safe regardless if the patients are humans and animals. Washing hands is a simple, inexpensive, and an effective action to prevent the spread of microbes that cause healthcare associated infection. The most common transmissible disease in any hospital, dental, or veterinary cleaning is Staphylococcus aureus. The task of proper hygiene in-between patients’ care enhances patient safety…

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird, heroism is “when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.” Atticus is saying that to him what makes hero is someone who does something even when they know they are gonna lose but they fight anyway. For example Mrs. Dubose was taking morphine because she was dieing and was in pain but she didn’t wanna die using morphine so she got off it which is a great accomplishment but the even bigger thing is that she did knowing she was going to have to suffer through withdrawal till she passed away. A hero is not always defined about what they accomplish but the way the act whilst accomplishing something.…

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The most common bacteria that can acquire or develop resistance is Pseudomonas aeruginosa (soo-daMOE-nus A-ridge-a-NO-sa). Pseudomonas can develop resistance to several antibiotics. Another bacteria is Staphylococcus aureus (STAFF-ee-loeKOK-us OR-i-us). When resistance develops, it is commonly called MRSA for methacillin (METH-a-SILL-in) resistant or ORSA for oxacillin (OX-aSILL-in) resistant Staphylococcus…

    • 267 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Infection Control

    • 580 Words
    • 3 Pages

    To introduce the learner to national and local policies in relation to infection control; to explain employer and employee responsibilities in this area; to understand how procedures and risk assessment can help minimise the risk of an outbreak of infection. Learners will also gain an understanding of how to use PPE correctly and the importance of good hygiene.…

    • 580 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Patient Safety

    • 1454 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Patient safety is defined by as the avoidance, prevention, and improvement of adverse outcomes stemming from the healthcare process (Cole, 2011). “Healthcare-associated infection (HCAI), is defined as an infection that is acquired as a consequence of a person’s treatment by a healthcare provider, is an example of an adverse incident” (Cole, 2011, p. 1122). In the surgical area, the…

    • 1454 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are many types of healthcare-associated infections such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE), Central Line-associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI), Clostridium difficile Infection (C. difficile), and Surgical Site Infection (SSI) (CDPH, 2016).…

    • 977 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    According to Wilkinson and Treas (2011), A Healthcare Associated Infection is an infection related to healthcare given in any setting such as a hospital, during home-care, long-term care, and ambulatory settings. Infections may be spread from one patient to another simply because the healthcare provider failed to wash their hands or wear the proper personal protective equipment. Infections are also commonly spread by devises used during a medical procedure and anything else the patient may come in contact with that has not been properly cleaned such as a call bell or side rail. For instance say you have a patient with MRSA and one of their family members leave the room failing to wash their hands, goes to the front desk to ask for a glass of water for the patient in the mean time she placed her contaminated hands on the…

    • 1544 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays