| The current research study assessed healthcare workers' attitudes, understanding, and perceived risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and infection control practices to control MRSA. The prevalence of MRSA both in the hospital and in the community has dramatically risen (Elixhauser & Steiner, 2007; Jarvis, Schlosser, Chinn, Tweeten, & Jackson, 2007; Klevens et al., 2006; Kuehnert et al., 2006; Kuehnert et al., 2005; Moran et al., 2006). However, compliance with MRSA infection control precautions by healthcare workers remains dangerously low (Afif, Huor, Brassward, & Loo, 2002; Askarian, Shiraly, & McLaws, 2005). The current study revealed that 80% of the healthcare workers surveyed reported that they consistently applied MRSA infection control precautions. However, only 57% reported that other healthcare workers in their working environment applied MRSA infection control precautions consistently.;Healthcare workers have traditionally been implicated in the spread of hospital-acquired MRSA with poor adherence to standard and isolation precautions (Henderson & Fishman, 2008). Few studies have examined healthcare workers as a high-risk community in jeopardy of contracting MRSA infection (Albrich & Harbarth, 2008) or have determined the colonization rates of healthcare workers in the absence of an outbreak (Bisaga, Paquette, Satatini, & Lovell, 2008). Due to the high frequency of contact with MRSA, healthcare workers have a high risk of becoming colonized with MRSA, transmitting MRSA to other people, and acquiring MRSA infection themselves (Albrich & Harbarth, 2008).;The current research results reveal that respondents who believed that MRSA was either a serious or very serious issue were more likely to report that they applied infection control precautions consistently (p=0.03). Respondents who reported that other staff in their working area were consistent with MRSA infection control precautions and respondents who reported that they did not believe that they were colonized with MRSA were also more likely to report that they were consistent with MRSA infection control precautions (p<0.0001). Further research is necessary to substantiate the study's findings. More work also is needed to emphasize the importance of MRSA precaution compliance for protection of both patients and healthcare workers and on educating patients and healthcare workers about MRSA and infection control practices. |
