Regular handwashing by hospital staff and visitors did more to prevent the spread of the MRSA superbug than isolating infected patients.
Regular handwashing by hospital staff and visitors did more to prevent the spread of the MRSA superbug than isolating infected patients.
At the Society for General Microbiology meeting in Harrogate, Dr Peter Wilson from University College Hospital, London, reported on a year-long study in two hospital intensive care units. In the middle six months of the year patients with MRSA were not moved to single rooms or nursed in separate MRSA bays. The rates of cross infection with MRSA were compared to the periods when patients were moved. Patients were tested for MRSA weekly and hand hygiene by staff and visitors audited and encouraged. There was no evidence of increased transmission of infection when patients were not moved.
World Hand-washing Day to be Launched by UNICEF
The simple act of washing hands could save thousands of children's lives every day, mostly in Asia and Africa, the United Nations said on Tuesday, the eve of the first Global Hand-Washing Day.
The simple act of washing hands could save thousands of children's lives every day, mostly in Asia and Africa, the United Nations said on Tuesday, the eve of the first Global Hand-Washing Day.
MRSA are Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that are resistant to the meticillin class of antibiotics. Many people carry these bacteria and it is generally not harmful if they are healthy. MRSA can cause serious illness in patients with weak or damaged immune systems and the elderly and it is widespread in hospitals. Treatment options are limited and it is vitally important to develop strategies to stop the spread of MRSA in healthcare environments.
"If a patient carrying MRSA is critically ill, moving them to a single room is less of a priority than clinical care," said Dr Wilson. "If the criteria are strictly applied, compliance with hand hygiene practices on intensive care units is less than on a general ward because of the very high number of contacts per hour. Another study is needed in a general ward where a high level of compliance with hand hygiene is easier to achieve."
Welsh Primary School Inculcates Hand-Washing Habit In Children
A primary school in Cardiff, Wales, has come in for widespread praise for seeking to inculcate the habit of hand-washing in children.
A primary school in Cardiff, Wales, has come in for widespread praise for seeking to inculcate the habit of hand-washing in children.
SRM
When Cleanliness Gets Too Close To Godliness: Hand Washing Affects Moral Judgments
They say cleanliness is next to godliness - and now University of Plymouth scientists have shown that soaping away your outer dirt can affect your moral judgment.
They say cleanliness is next to godliness - and now University of Plymouth scientists have shown that soaping away your outer dirt can affect your moral judgment.
Promoting Hand Washing Cuts Diarrhoea Episodes in Developing Countries
A new study has suggested that hand washing can significantly reduce episodes of diarrhoea.
A new study has suggested that hand washing can significantly reduce episodes of diarrhoea.
