Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Palliative Medicine
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Dand, P.
Right arrow Articles by Sykes, N.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Dand, P.
Right arrow Articles by Sykes, N.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

A survey of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) management in hospices/palliative care units

Pauline Dand

Joan Fyvie

Alethea Yee

Nigel Sykes

St Christopher's Hospice, London

A questionnaire-based survey was performed of the protocols adopted by specialist palliative care in-patient units in southern England for the management of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA). An 87% response rate was obtained from a total of 63 units. Ninety-five percent of the responding units had a protocol for MRSA management, but staff training in its contents was provided in only 59%. Some form of screening for MRSA was carried out by 13% of units. Infection control precautions taken varied between units and according to whether a patient was colonized or infected with MRSA. Although 86% carried out some form of isolation of patients with known or suspected MRSA infection, only 46% restricted their activity within the unit. However, 41% of respondents felt that protocols to eradicate MRSA colonization were not relevant to hospices. The impact of MRSA infection or colonization on a palliative care population in terms of quality of life and morbidity remains unknown.

Key Words: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus • palliative care

Palliative Medicine, Vol. 19, No. 3, 185-187 (2005)
DOI: 10.1191/0269216305pm997oa
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?