Summarize:

When patients come into the hospital with MRSA, it is "community-acquired." "Hospital-acquired" MRSA is when a patient comes in the hospital for treatment of an unrelated condition, then gets MRSA while there. Hospital-acquired MRSA does not usually affect the skin and soft tissues, so you don't often see community-acquired boils and abscesses. These patients progress quickly to more serious complications.  MRSA is a major cause of preventable death and is an epidemic in hospitals across the globe. The infection spreads quickly from patient to patient via unaware hospital staff who don't follow proper infection control procedures. If you work in a medical setting, you absolutely must wear gloves when interacting with patients. But just as important as wearing gloves in the first place is changing gloves in between patients and washing your hands thoroughly each time you change gloves. If you don't change gloves, you may protect yourself from infection while spreading infection from one patient to the next. Infection control protocols vary from ward to ward, even within the same hospital. For example, infection is more prevalent in the intensive care unit (ICU), so contact and isolation precautions are usually stricter. Staff may be required to wear protective gowns and facemasks in addition to gloves. This is perhaps the most important practice for preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Gloves can't be worn at all times, so hand washing is the first line of defense against spreading bacteria. When you're dealing with patients' body fluids — whether through sneezing or through surgery — it's best to pre-screen for MRSA. Everyone in a crowded hospital setting is both a potential risk and potentially at risk. The test for MRSA is a simple nasal swab that can be analyzed within 15 hours. Screening all new admissions — even those who don’t show symptoms of MRSA — can cut down on the spread of infection. For example, one study showed that about 1/4 of preoperative patients who did not have any symptoms of MRSA were still carrying the bacteria.  Screening all patients may not be reasonable within your hospital’s time and budget limits. You might consider screening all surgery patients or those whose fluids staff have to come into contact with. If the patient is found to have MRSA, the staff can decide on a “decolonization” strategy to prevent contamination during the surgery/procedure and transmission to other people in the health care setting. The last thing you want in a crowded hospital setting is for an infected patient to come into contact with uninfected patients there for other reasons. If single bed rooms are available, suspected MRSA patients should be isolated there. If that's not possible, MRSA patients should, at the very least, be quarantined into the same area, separate from the uninfected population. When shifts are understaffed, overworked staff can "burn out" and lose focus. A well-rested nurse is more likely to follow infection control protocols carefully, thus reducing the risk of MRSA spreading through a hospital. In hospital settings, patients don't usually have the early abscess symptom. Patients with central venous lines are especially vulnerable to MRSA sepsis, and those on ventilators are at risk of MRSA pneumonia. Both are potentially lethal. MRSA can also appear as a bone infection after knee or hip replacement, or as complication from surgery or wound infection. These can also lead to potentially lethal septic shock. Whether placing the line or caring for it, lax hygiene standards can contaminate the blood and cause infection. Blood infections can go to the heart and get lodged on the heart valves. This causes "endocarditis," in which a large chunk of infectious material takes hold. This is extremely deadly. Treatment for endocarditis is surgical excision of the heart valve and a six week course of IV antibiotics to sterilize the blood. Many patients get MRSA pneumonia while on the ventilator. When the staff is inserting or manipulating the breathing tube that goes down the trachea, bacteria can be introduced. In emergency situations, staff may not find the time to properly wash their hands, but you should always make an effort to observe this important step. If there's not time to wash your hands, at least put on a pair of sterile gloves.
Learn the difference between the types of MRSA. Protect yourself with gloves. Wash your hands regularly. Pre-screen all new patients for MRSA. Isolate patients suspected to have MRSA. Make sure the hospital is well-staffed. Be vigilant for signs of hospital-acquired MRSA. Follow procedure when placing central venous lines. Take the time to maintain hygiene when handling ventilators.