The Implications of MRSA on Wound Healing Case Study

The Implications of MRSA on Wound Healing - Case Study Example There have been confirmed reports that patients who are getting admitted to hospitals for the treatment are most affected group due to MRSA infection (Craig Brown, 2006). It was also found that patients who stay for longer period in hospitals are found to be infected with MRSA in higher rate. MRSA also affects the wound healing negatively. Hence the proper nursing treatment techniques and strict maintenance of hygiene is very much needed for effective cure of MRSA. It has been found in the research studies that MRSA worsens the conditions of wound healing and hence draws attention of medical personnel through out the world. The management of this disease has become more crucial especially in a community set up. The role of base level functionaries like nurses is quite phenomenal in successful management of this disease. Scotland also has a remarkable number of patients suffering from MRSA. It has become a frequent cause of nosocomial infection, its increasing prevalence posing serious therapeutic and infection control problems within the hospital environment. Extended hospitalisation and antibiotic therapy have been identified as additional risk factors for MRSA carriage and infection. It is not exaggerating to comment that MRSA is a major challenge to the burn patient, with potential to cause significant morbidity and mortality. Burn patients have been shown to become colonised and infected more readily than other patient groups. Extensive bu rn injuries are particularly susceptible to infection as a result of the disruption of the normal skin barrier and accompanying depression of immune responses. Microbial surveillance, epidemiological studies and the introduction of strict infection control regimes can definitely reduce the prevalence of MRSA but may be insufficient for eradication or prevention of outbreak situations if not accompanied with community awareness programmes in Scotland. It was found that nearly one fifth of patients who died after surgery in 2005 had developed an infection in hospitals according to a national survey in Scotland. A total of 126 people, 7.6% of those who died after surgery, had MRSA. In 75 of those cases, it was believed to have contributed to the patient's death. The report also revealed that almost half of the patients with MRSA had the infection when they were admitted. This survey was done for a considerably larger ample. There were 301,894 surgical admissions to Scottish hospitals in 2005, with 240,302 patients having an operation. In 17.8% of cases where the patient died after surgery, they had shown a hospital acquired infection (HAI). This can be compared with 23.5% of people who died after surgery in 2004 (MRSA watch, 2006a). These figures, from the Scottish Audit of Surgical Mortality showed an improvement in terms of MRSA management in Scotland in comparison with that of 2004. The implementation of MRSA infection control guidelines by all the nursing staff in Scotland is crucial in reducing the impact of MRSA on wound healing. Reports confirm that NHS Lanarkshire infection control teams have been responding to the problem by working to tackle the issue with a range of initiatives to help combat infection, including specialist infection control