Friday, April 01, 2011

MRSA Protocols- Are They Being Used In Practice?

In Advance For NPs and PAs, a March 9, 2011 article was featured on the following study of protocols used by health care providers to treat MRSA infections. I was surprised to see that some providers were still using Keflex to treat these infections. Some providers still were not sending cultures on these infections. How can we adequately treat an infection without knowing what will actually kill the bacteria? My impression of the following information is that the protocol that I do is somehow a new treatment regimen. I have been doing incision and drainage with appropriate culturing with first line Septra for the last 3 plus years. I also use mupricion ointment to nares twice daily and Hibaclens during the regimen if they have had more than one outbreak within a 6 month period.

Taking Aim at MRSA
Protocol use by an NP-PA team
Anita D. Barnes is a family nurse practitioner who is an assistant professor of nursing at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas.
A 2009 study reported a variety of approaches used by ED physicians to treat CA-MRSA SSTIs.6 The study surveyed 225 ED physicians nationwide: 56% reported always sending cultures for testing and 19% said they never did so. The physicians prescribed trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) 60% of the time, either alone or in combination with another antibiotic. Nineteen percent treated patients with cephalexin alone, and 13% prescribed cephalexin in combination with another antibiotic. Cephalexin is not recommended in the CDC protocol.

What are you doing as providers to treat MRSA infections? Do you find the information alarming that some providers are still not culturing infections?

5 comments:

  1. That's crazy! I cant imagine a time or place where not culturing would be the appropriate protocol. We definitely swab the nares of every single patient upon admission and discharge and we treat with mupricion. Not sure how it works on an outpatient basis but that is interesting.

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  2. Hi...I am seeking opinions/suggestions from nurses about a possible problem with my nursing program applications. I've posted the issue on my blog...anything you have to say would be greatly appreciated!

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  3. Wow, great post on MRSA Protocol.. You have some good point on protocols. I love to learn and read more articles on protocols. Thanks for sharing it..

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  4. The cna certification test is helpful to students in examining them on the topics that will be included in the actual CNA state exam.

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  5. Really!! It’s very helpful protocol. I love to learn and read more blogs on protocols.

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