Antibiotics are commonly used to treat infections. We seldom think about what occurs when we take this medication other than the fact that we will or should get better after a few days. Most are aware that antibiotics have been used for some time and their effectiveness is beginning to wane. In fact, today we have strains of microbes that have developed resistance to antibiotics such that we have named them Superbugs. One such Superbug, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become resistant to most antibiotics available and is a problem in many hospital settings.
Review chapters 14 and 15 of your textbook for a review of Antimicrobial Drugs and Microbial Mechanisms of Pathogenicity.
And then visit the Infectious Disease Society of America
https://www.idsociety.org/public-health/antimicrobial-resistance/antimicrobial-resistance/
For this discussion, please choose to take ONE role in the following scenario.
Research and Support your post in your response.
A patient has arrived in the ER critically ill. She had a minor surgery the week previously and was discharged home with antibiotics. Upon arrival to the ER, the patient presented gravely ill, the surgical wound red, swollen, puss filled and her temperature elevated. A post surgical infection is suspected.
Choose only ONE (Topic) role in this scenario:
Topic 1. You are the patient
Topic 2. You are the spouse of the patient (the person who may be or may become responsible for making decisions)
Topic 3. You are the nurse caring for the patient.
Topic 4. You are the primary physician caring for the patient.
Topic 5. You are the infectious disease specialist on call for the hospital where the patient has arrived.
Compose an exposition to address the following questions:
1. Is this infection likely MRSA?
2. What would a MRSA infection look like on a patient; for example, describe how the wound presents.
3. Was the patient exposed to MRSA in the hospital prep, during the surgery the week previously or sometime afterwards (post-discharge)?
4. Where does liability for this (potential) infection rest? Is it the responsibility of the patient (making sure she followed her discharge instructions, etc), nurse(s), scrub technicians, physicians, surgeons and/or infectious disease specialists to ensure resistant diseases are kept in check in hospitals?
