PREVENT

HOW CAN WE PREVENT MRSA INFECTIONS?

Basic infection control practices should be followed: Educate patients to prevent spread Examine patients with MRSA in a private room Wear gloves when providing care for patients Change gloves after contact with infective material Remove gloves before leaving the patient's room and wash hands immediately Do not touch potentially contaminated environmental surfaces or items in the patient's room Wear a gown when providing care and remove the gown before leaving the examination room Individual cases of MRSA are currently not reportable to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH). Please contact MDPH at (617) 9836800 if you suspect a cluster of cases. Additional materials about MRSA for healthcare professionals are available at www.cdc.gov/MRSA or by calling 1-800-CDC-INFO.

HospitalAssociated MethicillinResistant Staphylococcus aureus

HA-MRSA
An MRSA Informational Brochure for Healthcare Professionals

IDENTIFY
WHAT IS MRSA?
The bacteria Staphylococcus aureus causes MRSA. MRSA is resistant to currently available beta-lactam antibiotics. Many patients have breaks in their skin via surgical wounds, intravenous lines, and catheters that allow bacteria to enter underlying tissues or the bloodstream. When a patient has a skin infection, it may very likely be MRSA.

WHAT SYMPTOMS TO LOOK FOR IN PATIENTS?

Signs/symptoms of skin infection: Boils, impetigo, and wound infections Redness Swelling Warmth Pain/tenderness

Openings in the skin Hospitalizations, surgery and dialysis Indwelling medical devices Drainage of wounds Nasal secretions of infected or colonized patient

HOW DO WE DIAGNOSE MRSA?

Diagnose MRSA by obtaining specimens for culture and susceptibility testing.

CONTROL
HOW DO WE TREAT MRSA?
Treatment consists of: Opening and draining the wound Cleaning the wound often and keeping it covered to prevent spreading the infection Culturing the infection to determine which antibiotics may be used Discussing a follow-up plan with the patient

HOW DOES MRSA LOOK?

It begins as a pimple like lesion that has popped, looking like a spider bite, a boil, or an infected mosquito bite.

HOW IS IT SPREAD?
As healthcare providers, we are at risk for getting a MRSA infection. MRSA lives on the skin and survives on surfaces for prolonged periods of time. Risks factors include: Close skin-to skin contact Touching contaminated items and surfaces