Gloves and Gowns decreases MRSA Infection

The most common complication for a patient while in the hospital is an infection, especially for very sick patients who require a stay in the intensive care unit. It’s estimated that one in 20 hospital patients acquire antibiotic resistant infections. A new study examined whether wearing gloves and gowns for all patient contact in the ICU decreased infection rates.  “A goal when patients are admitted to the intensive care unit is to treat the reason that they are in the intensive care unit but also to prevent adverse events which include healthcare associated infections.” Dr. Anthony Harris and co-authors conducted a randomized trial with 20 ICUs in 20 different hospitals around the country. Workers in half the ICUs wore gloves and gowns for all patient contact. The other half wore gloves and gowns for only select patients. “Wearing gloves and gowns for all patient contact led to a significant decrease in MRSA acquisition, accounting for about a 40% decrease.”  The study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.