MRSA Detection Paper

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) surveillance screening in an acute care setting can be done through the use of targeted screening of patients who only meet the predetermined criteria or through the use of universal surveillance of all patients. Although it is necessary and appropriate for patients in ICU to be screened for MRSA due to the high level of care, patients in a non-ICU acute care setting could also benefit from universal surveillance screening as they encounter similar risk of acquiring MRSA infection in the hospital setting.

As a nurse for almost eleven years, I have seen the danger and increase of MRSA infection on patients in a healthcare setting. MRSA is a mutated form of bacteria. The bacterium is resistant to many antibiotic therapies, which makes

MRSA surveillance screening in the hospital setting where I presently work occurs through targeted screening of only those patients who meet the predetermined criteria such as: nursing home and ICU patients, and patients who have history of MRSA. My unit accommodates 24 private beds, and as a charge nurse I noticed that the majority of our isolation patients have an active or history of MRSA. According to Consumer Reports (2016), Loyola Hospital reported 15 MRSA cases in 131,932 days of its patients spent in the hospital between April of 2014 and March of 2015, which is 16% worse than national rates. For that reason, the purpose of my project is to determine whether the use of universal MRSA surveillance screening in a non ICU acute care setting will result to decreased risk and incidence of MRSA infection in the hospitalized patient. According to Lawes, Lopez-Lozano, and Gould (2012), the study using the universal surveillance screening, resulted in increase of identification of MRSA carriage, decrease of hospital acquired MRSA, and decreased of early