A staff questionnaire study of MRSA infection on ENT and general surgical wards

Abstract

Methicillin-resistant Staphyloccocus aureus (MRSA) infection has received much attention in both the medical and non-medical press. However, it is not widely encountered on ENT wards, given the profile of short-stay, relatively well patients, although its impact seems to be increasing. We wished to explore the knowledge and attitudes towards MRSA on general surgical and ENT wards, and see if there were any significant differences between specialties, or between doctors and nurses. A 13-item questionnaire with a Likert scale response with six knowledge questions and seven attitude questions was prepared. It was completed anonymously by all nursing and medical staffs on the ENT and general surgical wards of a large District General Hospital. ENT doctors displayed the lowest knowledge and attitude scores; however, this only attained significance in terms of the knowledge of the difference between infection and colonization. Overall, nurses displayed significantly more positive attitudes towards MRSA patients than doctors, but knowledge scores were not significantly different between professions. The study suggests a lack of knowledge about and preponderance of negative attitudes towards MRSA amongst ENT doctors. The difference between colonization and infection is not well understood. Reasons for this may include the relative rarity of MRSA cases on ENT wards.

Appendix: Questionnaire

We are interested in your responses to the following questions about MRSA. Please answer all questions by circling a number from 1 to 5 depending on your level of agreement with the statement. Your answers are confidential.

Job Title_____________________________________

	Agree			Disagree
Colonization and infection with MRSA are basically the same thing	1	2	3	4	5
People colonized with MRSA are a danger to everyone they come into contact with	1	2	3	4	5
A post-operative patient with an open wound infected with MRSA is a burden to hospital staff caring for them	1	2	3	4	5
Patients colonized with MRSA probably have poor personal hygiene	1	2	3	4	5
A patient with an MRSA infected wound should be nursed in a side ward	1	2	3	4	5
Hospital staff should spend as little time as possible with patients with MRSA infection	1	2	3	4	5
Hand washing is one of the best ways to control the spread of MRSA	1	2	3	4	5
A patient with an MRSA infected wound does not make my job any more difficult	1	2	3	4	5
Patients infected with MRSA should receive the basic medical care they need, but not additional services such as physiotherapy	1	2	3	4	5
One patient in my care with an MRSA infected wound takes up more of my time to the detriment of my other patients	1	2	3	4	5
3 negative MRSA screens are needed before a patient with an MRSA infection can return to an open ward	1	2	3	4	5
A patient being cared for in a side room due to MRSA infection should be allowed to use the bath/shower on the ward	1	2	3	4	5
A patient with an MRSA infected wound should not be allowed visitors	1	2	3	4	5