Nurses' knowledge on methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Abstract

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a strain of micro-organisms that is resistant to treatment with many commonly used antibiotics (RCN 2005). MRSA infections have become increasingly problematic in health care as well as community settings (Hidron et al 2005).The main aim of this study is to explore the depth of knowledge that nurses possess regarding MRSA. The objectives include exploring how knowledgeable nurses are on those factors that could increase a patient's risk of becoming infected with MRSA and whether they are aware of any procedures that may minimise the risk of MRSA transmission, as well as to determine whether they are aware of the causes of antibiotic resistance. In order to achieve these aims and objectives, 18 self-administered questionnaires were administered to nurses with more than one year of working experience on general adult surgical wards. Once the questionnaires were completed, they were handed back to the researcher to ensure a 100% response rate. The results of this study showed that nurses working on surgical wards had an acceptable overall knowledge on MRSA of 76.3%. The researcher recommends further research on the issue of knowledge on MRSA as well as increased awareness made by hospital administration to nursing staff regarding the MRSA policy.