MANY patients with healthcare associated infections (HAIs) like MRSA have reported feeling “like a leper” or “dirty” after being diagnosed, according to a new study.
Researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) looked at 17 studies from five different countries during a major review.
They focused on the experiences of patients with five common types of HAIs, including Clostridium difficile (C. diff), MRSA and surgical wound infections.
They concluded that the consequences of HAIs reach well beyond patients’ physical health, affecting their relationships and social lives.
Some people have been left too scared to go to the hairdresser or the gym because they fear they may pass on the infection.
The researchers also found that some healthcare providers distanced themselves from patients who are carrying organisms that can lead to infections.
Lead study author Kay Currie, professor of nursing and applied healthcare research at GCU, said: “These people said they felt dirty, like a leper or having the plague because of the stronger stigma response from healthcare professionals – they get put into an isolation room and feel that everyone treats them as though they are really contagious and a real threat.
“However, they’ve probably had this organism sitting in their bodies for years at home with no ill-effects to themselves, and when they go back into the community they are not a significant risk.
“The real threat is when they are in hospital and these resistant organisms spread to vulnerable patients who can get a really life-threatening infection.
“They also reported leaving hospital with a lack of information about what level of precaution they needed to take.”
The findings have paved the way for what is thought to be Scotland’s first in-depth study into how patients across the country cope with HAIs and how they are treated by healthcare professionals.
Professor Currie is now leading a study examining the hospital, community and wider societal cost of HAIs.
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