Prevention of MRSA Infections in Healthcare Settings

Basic infection control practices are key to the prevention and control of MRSA in healthcare settings. This page explains the key practices and other steps which will aid in preventing MRSA infections and the spread of MRSA.

If an outbreak has occurred please contact your facility’s infection preventionist or your local/state health department.

Preventing the Spread of MRSA in Healthcare Settings

 

Standard Precautions

Standard Precautions, exerpted from the Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings 2007, should control the spread of MRSA in most instances. Standard Precautions should be used for all patient care.

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Contact Precautions

CDC recommends contact precautions for MRSA. Further recommendations can be found in the guideline Management of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms in Healthcare Settings, 2006 [PDF 235KB/73 pages].

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Visitors of Infected Patients

When visiting MRSA patients, individuals should follow the facility’s visitor policies. Casual contact—such as kissing, hugging, and touching—is usually acceptable. Visitors should avoid touching catheters or wound sites and should wash their hands before leaving an infected person's room.

Patient Education

Patient education is a critical component of MRSA case management. Healthcare professionals should educate patients and visitors on methods to avoid MRSA transmission to close contacts.

Additional Precautions

In addition to standard and contact precautions, additional precautions may also be considered for healthcare facilities.

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Important Guidelines:

Numerous guidelines and publications are available from the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC)