Hospital staff and visitors to sing while scrubbing up
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

Hands will be washed more frequently- - often to the tune of a familiar ditty- at Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center in Thousand Oaks.

To those who hear hospital employees singing "Happy Birthday" or "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" or reciting the alphabet song: Don't be concerned. Actually, it means being at the hospital just got safer for those with low immune systems and other frailties that might make them more susceptible to methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus.

According to the website of the Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Staph bacteria are one of the most common causes of skin infection in the United States and are a common cause of pneumonia, surgical wound infections and bloodstream infections. . . . The majority of MRSA infections occur among patients in hospitals or other healthcare settings; however, it is becoming more common in the community setting."

The website goes on to say MRSA infections come from bacteria that resist common antibiotics. These infections are usually found in people with weakened immune systems who are in nursing homes, hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

According to officials at Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center, these infections have been eradicated in the Netherlands. Los Robles, along with the Hospital Corporation of America, a group of 200 hospitals it's associated with, hopes to do the same here.

"This is an important infection and we're serious about it," said Kris Carraway-Bowman, hospital spokesperson.

Well-washed hands are the key, said Diane Duff, inspection control practitioner at Los Robles. That's where the singing comes in.

Those entering a patient's room must first wash their hands for a minimum of 15 seconds, or the time it takes to sing a simple melody. That means everyone. Some sing songs to remind them how long they are to keep washing. They must use warm water and the alcohol disinfectant foam provided, or use Purell hand sanitizer, said Duff.

Underneath the fingernails, between the fingers and the back of the hands must be washed. A paper towel should be used to turn off the faucet, Duff said.

"Patients are encouraged to make sure each person entering their room washes their hands and to not hesitate to ask them to do so if they do not," CarrawayBowman said.

That means every visitor- every person who comes in to fluff a pillow or give a drink of water, every doctor or nurse.

Then, they are to wash their hands again before they leave the room. Just wearing the same rubber gloves over their hands in and out of rooms doesn't count.

Penicillin was once used to fight staph infections, but in the late 1960s staph infections became resistant to penicillin, and some have now become resistant to other members of the antibiotic family, Duff said.

The infections aren't resistant, however, to thorough hand washings and other cleaning measures used in hospitals.

Hand washing is 75 percent of the prevention in spreading the infection. The other 25 percent comes from handrails and other equipment that must be cleaned to protect one person's secretions from infecting somebody else, Duff said.

Beginning Feb. 15, Los Robles will be covered with signs reminding visitors and caregivers to wash their hands. In addition, a card will be handed out to everyone entering the facility explaining what must be done and why they are being asked to take such precautions.

Staph germs are carried by about 30 percent of the population. These same people have no symptoms, according to Duff.

Staph infections can be spread by skin-to-skin contact such as members of a wrestling team Los Angeles County jails recently had an outbreak of skin infections that could be spread to Thousand Oaks by wives, husbands or first responders who have contact with a prisoner, Duff said.

"This is an example of how infections can gradually creep in and spread out."

To protect other patients, everyone admitted to Los Robles will be tested for MRSA to make sure they're not a carrier, Duff said. If they are, they will be put in isolation, and those entering their rooms will take the extra precautions, such as wearing gowns and gloves. They also may have to comply with other measures, she said.

"We want everyone to be educated and mindful," said Duff.