Hospitals have strict codes of practice to prevent and control healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs), such as MRSA and C. difficile. The measures work in three ways: stopping pathogens spreading, protecting vulnerable patients, and reducing selection for antibiotic resistance.Stopping the spread
• Hand hygiene: staff and visitors wash their hands, or use alcohol gel, before and after contact with each patient. Soap and water is needed for C. difficile, because alcohol does not kill its spores.
• Staff are bare below the elbows: no long sleeves, watches or jewellery, which can carry bacteria.
• Gloves and aprons are worn and changed between patients.
• Wards, surfaces and equipment are cleaned regularly with disinfectant; instruments are sterilised in an autoclave or are single-use.
• Infected patients are isolated in side rooms, and wards with outbreaks may be closed to new admissions.Protecting patients
• Patients are screened for MRSA before or on admission, using nose and skin swabs. Carriers can be treated with antiseptic washes and nasal cream to clear the bacteria before surgery.
• Strict aseptic technique is used during surgery and when inserting catheters and drips.Controlling antibiotic use
• Antibiotics are prescribed only when needed, after identifying the pathogen where possible.
• Narrow-spectrum antibiotics are chosen in preference to broad-spectrum ones, reducing the risk of C. difficile.
• Hospitals rotate the antibiotics they use and monitor resistance.These measures have greatly reduced MRSA and C. difficile infections in UK hospitals since the mid-2000s.
• Hand hygiene: staff and visitors wash their hands, or use alcohol gel, before and after contact with each patient. Soap and water is needed for C. difficile, because alcohol does not kill its spores.
• Staff are bare below the elbows: no long sleeves, watches or jewellery, which can carry bacteria.
• Gloves and aprons are worn and changed between patients.
• Wards, surfaces and equipment are cleaned regularly with disinfectant; instruments are sterilised in an autoclave or are single-use.
• Infected patients are isolated in side rooms, and wards with outbreaks may be closed to new admissions.Protecting patients
• Patients are screened for MRSA before or on admission, using nose and skin swabs. Carriers can be treated with antiseptic washes and nasal cream to clear the bacteria before surgery.
• Strict aseptic technique is used during surgery and when inserting catheters and drips.Controlling antibiotic use
• Antibiotics are prescribed only when needed, after identifying the pathogen where possible.
• Narrow-spectrum antibiotics are chosen in preference to broad-spectrum ones, reducing the risk of C. difficile.
• Hospitals rotate the antibiotics they use and monitor resistance.These measures have greatly reduced MRSA and C. difficile infections in UK hospitals since the mid-2000s.