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INVESTIGATE THE TRENDS IN HOSPITAL ACQUIRED INFECTIONS
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is type staphylococcus aureas (SA), which are the commonest bacteria that infect humans. As many as one in three of the population has MRSA colonised (growing harmlessly) on their bodies (DOH 1996).
In healthy individuals SA usually poses no serious risk and can be treated with antibiotics MRSA is resistant to many antibiotics and that makes it difficult to treat. It is usually people with wounds, catheters, intravenous infusions, drains, etc that are at risk from MRSA and SA (NHS 2003).
Clostridium Difficile (C Diff) is a bacteria that causes diarrhoea. It can be spread quite easily, as it is able to live for long periods in the environment. It is most common in people who have recently been taking antibiotics (North Cumbria District Control of Infection Committee 2002). In 2001 there were 3335 reports of the infection in Scotland, which has increased yearly since 1995 (NHS Scotland 2002).
It has been found that poor environmental hygiene is a contributing factor to hospital acquired infections (HAI) this includes housekeeping, clinical waste, laundry, food hygiene and pest control (DOH 2001).
Poor hand hygiene can increase the risks of HAI (DOH 2001). Hand washing should take place between contact with different patients and between different tasks on the same patient. All staff involved with hospital hygiene require sufficient education to minimise HAI risks this includes effective hand washing techniques, wearing of sterile/ non-sterile gloves, aprons etc.
National Audit Office (NAO) (1999) data indicate that 16% of occupational injuries occurring in hospital are sharps injuries. And that 100% of these injuries are potentially preventable. Sharps handling should be kept to a minimum, should not be re-sheathed and disposed of correctly (DOH 2001).
The most common ways hospital acquired infections attack is by blood infections, after surgery, urinary infections, chest infections and skin infections (NAO 2000).
In 1999 it was estimated that over 45000 people in Scotland suffered from an HAI (BBC 2002). According to the RCN (2003) HAI's were responsible for 457 deaths and contributed to a further 1372 in 2001.
The BBC (2001) reported that an estimated £21.6m was the cost of hospital acquired infections in Scotland in 1999.
05/06/0711/06/05
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