Nursing Home Residents Are At a Very High Risk of Carrying MRSA Into Hospitals Says California Nursing Home and Abuse Attorney Steven Peck

Written by Adam Peck Category: Nursing Homes January 23rd, 2013 2 min read

We know that one of the high-risk groups for carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are patients who come into our hospitals from long-term care facilities. Previous studies have shown a prevalence rate of anywhere from 5%-40% in this patient population. Recently, a study by Reynolds and colleagues, published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, looked at not just residents of 1 nursing home, but in all of the nursing homes in Orange County, California. This included 10 different nursing homes. Between October 2008 and November 2009, they sampled the nares of over 500 admissions and 1000 patients in a point-prevalence survey. MRSA on admission ranged from 8%-31%. The MRSA prevalence ranged from 7%-52%. When you subtracted from the point-prevalence survey those who had MRSA on admission, it ranged from 5%-22%.

Overall, point prevalence was 31% of patients having MRSA. These data show that at least these nursing homes in Orange County, California — and there’s no reason to believe that their nursing homes are any different than many other nursing homes — have a very high prevalence of MRSA says California Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorney Steven Peck.

We know that infection control practices at such nursing homes tend to be worse than at acute care facilities, and it facilitates the spread of MRSA from patient to patient. So it’s not surprising then that these nursing home patients serve as a major reservoir for MRSA when they come into our acute care facilities. For that reason, nursing home patients should be at least one of the groups that is targeted if you’re limiting your screening to high-risk patients

Share it

Questions? Check with Peck Today

Blog Lead Form

Elder Abuse and Neglect in Assisted Living Facilities

Elopement in Nursing Homes

Assisted Living Abuse

Settlement Reached in Assisted Living Facility Death

Assisted Living Abuse and Neglect Attorneys

Written by Adam Peck

Expertise: Personal Injury

Adam J. Peck, ESQ is a principal with Peck Law Group, APC. In 2008, Mr. Adam Peck received his Juris Doctorate from Whittier Law School where he graduated Cum Laude. His practice is primarily dedicated to representing Elders, Dependent Adults, along with their loved ones and family members, who have suffered horrific personal injuries.