The gloves and gowns of healthcare workers are frequently contaminated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus when caring for nursing home residents, according to a study published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.
Researchers conducted their observational study at 13 community-based nursing homes in Maryland and Michigan, swabbing the gloves and gowns of the healthcare workers after their usual care activities.
Here are three findings from the study.
1. Of the 403 nursing home residents enrolled in the study, 113 (28 percent) were colonized with MRSA.
2. Nearly a quarter (24 percent) of the healthcare workers' gloves and 14 percent of their gowns were contaminated with MRSA by the end of their shifts
3. MRSA transmission varied a great deal between low-risk and high-risk care activities from 0 percent to 24 percent for gowns and from 8 percent to 37 percent for gloves, respectively. Low-risk activities included distributing medications and performing glucose monitoring and high-risk activities included dressing, transferring, providing hygiene, changing linens and toileting residents.
"New MRSA acquisition in nursing homes is substantial," said lead author Mary-Claire Roghmann, MD. "Our study, for the first time, defines the type of care that increases the risk of transmission and suggests modifications to the current indications of gown and glove use."
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Patient bathing or contact precautions: Which reduces MRSA spread the most?