DeBug Infection Prevention Program

Other Important Interventions

Now we know how to stop bugs on our hands, what about shared hospital equipment?

Cleaning shared patient equipment

Blood pressure cuffs   Patient transfer slides   IV pumps   Dressing trolleys   Tympanic thermometers

Clearing staphylococcal colonisation from the patients’ nose and skin is thought to decrease the rate of subsequent staphylococcal infections. A common site for MRSA colonisation is in the patients’ nose. Clearing nasal colonisation is expected to reduce staphylococcal infections. At our hospital, patients known to be colonised with MRSA are treated with nasal Mupirocin ointment and Triclosan body washes. Mupirocin – an antibiotic cream that removes MRSA from the nose. Apply to the anterior nares of the nose 3 times a day for 5 days. Triclosan – a body wash that kills MRSA on the skin. To be used daily for 5 days instead of normal soap.

Applying Mupirocin with a cotton tipped applicator