The MRSA Outbreak case study is designed for you to show you can use the fishbone diagram. As a group, you and your assigned group members will brainstorm possible causes to an identified problem and create an action plan to further investigate the three main causes.

Your group will use the Groups workspace within Canvas to complete this assignment.

Steps

1. Read the article, What is MRSALinks to an external site., on the CDC website
2. Read the General Guidelines for MRSALinks to an external site., located on the CDC website.
3. Read the MRSA Outbreak Case Study:

The infection control nurse at Center Hospital has recently discovered that the inpatient infection rate has grown from 1% to 1.5% within the last two months. In a hospital of approximately 75,000 yearly admissions, the potential number of infected individuals is high. The hospital has gathered a task force to identify the cause and effect of the infections. Specifically, on this task force, there is a representative from housekeeping, the director of nursing, the director of surgical services, a representative from sterile supply (including sterilizing), a representative from laundry, and the finance director. Below is a list of websites you can use to read more about special roles and MRSA guidelines.

1. Each group member will select a different role in the Hospital Taskforce by the date listed on the course calendar.
   • Group members will represent their selected department as you work together to identify possible causes of the MRSA Outbreak problem.
   • The roles include:
     • Director of Housekeeping, responsible for cleaning standards throughout the hospital. This person must be aware of all sanitary regulations and chemicals used throughout the hospital to disinfect the various areas: patient rooms, hallways, elevators, waiting rooms ER, etc. Information for this role is located at Director of Housekeeping Information.Links to an external site.
     • Laundry Supervisor, responsible for sanitation of all laundry. Even if patient laundry is outsourced to another vendor, this person will oversee regulations of sanitation, storage, and handling of dirty linens. This person is also responsible for all staff laundry to include uniforms (scrub) cleaning, kitchen towels, and aprons. Laundry Supervisor Information Links to an external site.and Cleaning and DisinfectionLinks to an external site.
     • Director of Sterilization Procedures, responsible for all equipment cleaning and autoclave sterilization. This person needs to understand the regulations required to maintain sterilization of autoclaves and regulations for chemicals used on equipment. This person oversees all equipment throughout the hospital. Information for this role is located at Disinfection and Sterilization GuideLinks to an external site..
     • Director of Nursing, responsible for all policies/procedures related to direct nursing care within the hospital. This includes all units of the hospital. This person needs to regulate staff hygiene practices, uniform compliance, as well as patient care practices. Information for this role is located at Director of Nursing InformationLinks to an external site.
     • Director of Finance, responsible for all costs associated with operating the hospital. This person is directly involved when decisions are made with regard to anything! So they are directly involved if changes need to be made for chemicals! Information for this role is located at Director of Finance InformationLinks to an external site.
2. Group members research the possible causes of the MRSA outbreak from your ROLEs perspective.
3. Group member posts their findings to your groups workspace by the due date on the course calendar.
4. Use the Fishbone Model diagram as a guide to complete the specific spine of the fishbone model based on your role and post it to your group's workspace.
5. Collaborate as a group to complete a FISHBONE diagram. Highlight the problem areas on your FISHBONE before submitting it.
6. Review all members postings of possible causes, and develop an action plan to further identify the root cause.
   • Specifically:
     • A background statement.
     • The action plan should list three possible causes that would require further exploration.
     • For each of the three identified causes, indicate how you would investigate them. (For example, if your possible cause is staff access to hand sanitizer dispensers in each room, the action plan would be for the director of environmental services (or whomever you choose to appropriately designate) to check each patient room or waiting area, to see if a hand sanitizer dispenser is present with hand sanitizer in the container.)
     • Evaluation
     • Designate a team member to post your final action plan to this assignment by the due date.