Knowledge and attitudes of nursing professionals on methicilin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Mikroorganizmi predstavljaju najjednostavnije oblike života, a njihov razvoj bilježi se i prije više od tri milijarde godina tijekom kojih su se nepobitno dokazali kao jedni od najprilagodljivijih organizama koji nastanjuju svaki dio zemlje, ali i svaki dio čovjekovog tijela. Mogućnost prilagodbe nepovoljnim uvjetima i nepredvidljivo ponašanje jedan su od prediktora njihova uspješnog preživljavanja. Posljednjih godina u medicinskoj terminologiji sve češće se spominje i obraća pozornost na pojam MRSA – meticilin rezistentni Staphylococcus aureus. Taj pojam označava bakteriju koja je razvila specifičnu rezistentnost prema antistafilokoknim lijekovima koji su član grupe beta-laktamskih antibiotika. Značaj te bakterije je u tome što je liječenje teže nego u drugim oboljenjima, a može biti prisutna u bolničkim i izvanbolničkim uvjetima. Istraživanje o znanjima i stavovima medicinskih sestara/tehničara o MRSA-i provedeno je na ukupnom uzorku od 245 ispitanika/ca s područja Hrvatske u trajanju 15.-25.07.2021., namijenjeno isključivo medicinskim sestrama/tehničarima putem online obrasca. Dvije trećine ispitanika pripada dobnoj skupini do 40 godina starosti, 91% ispitanika je ženskog spola. Većina ispitanika (96%) odgovorila je da je MRSA zapravo meticilin rezistentni Staphylococcus aureus. 92% ispitanika smatra kako se kod bolesnika inficiranim MRSA-om provodi kontaktna izolacija. 86% ispitanika smatra da je najčešći put prenošenja MRSA-e preko ruku zdravstvenog osoblja koje je bilo u kontaktu sa inficiranim ili koloniziranim pacijentom te da se optimalna higijena ruku provodi na mjestu skrbi za bolesnika (77%).Microorganisms are the simplest forms of life, and their development started more than three billion years ago, which means that we can view them as the most adaptable organisms that inhabit every part of the earth, but also every part of the human body. Their ability to adapt to adverse conditions and unpredictable behavior are one of the hallmarks of their successful survival. In recent years, the term MRSA – methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus – has been increasingly mentioned in medical terminology. This term refers to a bacterial agent that has developed specific resistance to antistaphylococcal drugs that are a member of the group of beta-lactam antibiotics. The significance of this bacterial species is that treatment is more difficult than in other diseases, and the organism may be present in inpatient and outpatient settings. The research on the knowledge and attitudes of nursing professionals on MRSA has been conducted on a total sample of 245 respondents from Croatia in the period between 15th and 25th of July, 2021 in an online format. Two thirds of the respondents belonged to the age group up to 40 years of age, while a total of 91% of the respondents were female. The majority of respondents (96%) answered correctly that MRSA is actually methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. A total of 92% of respondents believe that contact isolation is pursued in patients infected with MRSA. Furthermore, 86% of respondents believe that the most common route of transmission of MRSA is through the hands of health care staff who have been in contact with an infected or colonized patient, and that optimal hand hygiene is performed at the patient care site (77%)