Experiences of nursing staff caring for patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

BACKGROUND: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a resistant variant of S. aureus and can cause pneumonia, septicaemia and, in some cases, death. Caring for patients with antibiotic resistant bacteria is a challenge for healthcare personnel. There is a risk of spreading the bacteria among patients and of healthcare personnel being infected themselves.AIM: To describe nursing staffs' experiences of caring for patients with methicillin-resistant S. aureus in Sweden.METHOD: A descriptive qualitative approach was used and 15 nurses from different hospitals and care units, including emergency and geriatric wards and nursing homes in Stockholm, were interviewed. All nurses had been involved in the care of patients with methicillin-resistant S. aureus, but not on a regular basis. The interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis.FINDINGS: Three themes emerged from the data: feeling ignorant, afraid and insecure, feeling competent and secure and feeling stressed and overworked. The more knowledge the nurses acquired about methicillin-resistant S. aureus, the more positive was their attitude to caring for these patients.DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Caring for patients with methicillin-resistant S. aureus without adequate knowledge of how to protect oneself and other patients against transmission may provoke anxiety among personnel. Guidelines, memos and adequate information at the right time are of central importance. Healthcare personnel must feel safe in their role as caregivers. All patients have the right to have the same quality of care regardless of the diagnosis and a lack of knowledge influences the level of care given.IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: This study demonstrates the importance of education when caring for patients with infectious diseases. Hopefully, knowledge gained from our study can provide guidance for future health care when new diseases and infections occur.</p

Challenges of implementing a primary health care strategy in a context of a market-oriented health care system : the experience of Bogota, Colombia

BACKGROUND: Although Colombia has a health system based on market and neoliberal principles, in 2004, the government of the capital-Bogota-took the decision to formulate a health policy that included the implementation of a comprehensive primary health care (PHC) strategy. This study aims to identify the enablers and barriers to the PHC implementation in Bogota. METHODS: The study used a qualitative multiple case study methodology. Seven Bogota's localities were included. Eighteen semi-structured interviews with key informants (decision-makers at each locality and members of the District Health Secretariat) and fourteen FGDs (one focus group with staff members and one with community members) were carried out. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach. RESULTS: The main enablers found across the district and local levels showed a similar pattern, all were related to the good will and commitment of actors at different levels. Barriers included the approach of the national policies and a health system based on neoliberal principles, the lack of a stable funding source, the confusing and rigid guidelines, the high turnover of human resources, the lack of competencies among health workers regarding family focus and community orientation, and the limited involvement of institutions outside the health sector in generating intersectoral responses and promoting community participation. CONCLUSION: Significant efforts are required to overcome the market approach of the national health system. Interventions must be designed to include well-trained and motivated human resources, as well as to establish available and stable financial resources for the PHC strategy