Better Resources Needed to Control Hospital Infections
Already stressed hospital systems are suffering under the added burden of antibiotic-resistant infections, warn infectious diseases experts.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is an entrenched problem throughout Australian hospitals, according to an editorial in the latest issue of the Medical Journal of Australia.
Professor Peter Collignon, Director of the Infectious Diseases Unit and Microbiology Department at Canberra Hospital and Professor Lindsay Grayson, Director Infectious Diseases & Clinical Epidemiology at Austin Health, and their colleague, say many in the health sector feel overwhelmed by the MRSA problem and think little can be done to correct it.
The cost of not dealing with MRSA includes prolonged patient length of stay and increased suffering for the patient, says Professor Collignon.
Professor Collignon says that to reduce the prevalence of MRSA, all areas of the health care community and government need to have a better understanding of the pathogen and infection control issues.
"We need basic infection control practices to be followed by all clinical staff and students… enough equipment and supplies a new era of government leadership in providing adequately resourced modern hospital facilities with infection control principles at the core of their design, not just added as an afterthought."
The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association.
The original article can be viewed online at www.mja.com.au
CONTACT: Prof Peter Collignon 02 6244 2105 / 02 6286 4052
Prof Lindsay Grayson 03 9496 6676 / 0419 565 971