(a) Health care facilities, as part of their infection control program, shall perform a local risk assessment for methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the facility. In those facilities where current interventions have not resulted in reduction in MRSA infections, implementation of a comprehensive program to reduce such infections should occur.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 68-11-269

  • Facility: means any institution, place or building providing health care services that is required to be licensed under this chapter. See Tennessee Code 68-11-201
  • Patient: includes , but is not limited to, any person who is suffering from an acute or chronic illness or injury or who is crippled, convalescent or infirm, or who is in need of obstetrical, surgical, medical, nursing or supervisory care. See Tennessee Code 68-11-201
(b) A health care facility’s comprehensive infection control program may include, but is not limited to:

(1) Implementation of a hand hygiene education and monitoring program;
(2) The use of contact precautions for patients colonized or infected with MRSA;
(3) The effective cleaning of patient care equipment and the patients’ environment;
(4) Consideration of use of active surveillance testing for high risk groups identified through a facility’s local risk assessment to identify persons colonized with MRSA;
(5) Feedback of surveillance data to key stakeholders, including senior facility leadership, physicians, nursing staff and other clinicians;
(6) Education of healthcare personnel about epidemiologically significant organisms; and
(7) Education of patients and families about prevention of healthcare-associated infections.
(c) Hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities should communicate MRSA status of patients transferred or admitted to other facilities; however, facilities should not delay the admission or transfer of patients colonized with MRSA.
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