Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (mrsa)

     OLIVAREZ 1

Introduction

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is a very serious and contagious infection that targets patients in a hospital setting. I decided to do additional research into the subject of decreasing MRSA in a hospital setting by proper hand hygiene and glove use. Because hospitals have many patients with different infections and diseases that are spread by doctors and nurses not washing hands properly or not changing their gloves, MRSA can be spread from patient to patient. (Nichols). My research is intended to investigate what MRSA is and to determine the actual causes and preventions of spreading MRSA in a hospital setting.

I have investigated four separate aspects of MRSA in a hospital setting. They are: (1). What is MRSA? (2). How does proper hand washing and proper glove use prevent MRSA? (3). How do nurses treat patients with MRSA? (4). What precautions are healthcare facilities taking to prevent MRSA infections? These four subtopics will constitute the main sections of my research report. I have located several sources that should help provide answers to these questions.

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Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). Google images.

What is MRSA?

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is a bacterium that causes infections in different parts of the body. It is tougher to treat than most strains of staphylococcus or staph, because it is resistant to most commonly used antibiotics. (Hospital-acquired MRSA). Because it is hard to treat and is resistant to most antibiotics it is often referred to as the "Super Bug."(Hannah). MRSA usually affects patients inside a health care facility. It causes mild to severe infections on the skin such as, sores or boils. A major problem with MRSA is the skin infections it can spread causing deep invasive infections in the blood stream or spread to major organs. MRSA can also cause complications such as gangrene to soft tissues, cause low blood pressure, fever, joint pain, and or death. (Hospital-Acquired MRSA). Around 94,360 invasive MRSA infections are diagnosed annually in the U.S with 18,650 deaths. (MRSA Survivors)