INO: Overcrowding is main cause of MRSA spread
The Irish Nurses Organisation has claimed that hospital overcrowding is the main cause of the spread of so-called superbugs in Irish hospitals.
An audit due out tomorrow is expected to highlight overcrowding as one of the main reasons why viruses like MRSA exist in the health system.
Speaking ahead of the audit's publication, INO spokesman Liam Doran, said overcrowding was leading to a situation where staff were too busy to wash their hands as frequently as they should.
"Every standard drops when you have an overcrowded hospital," he said.
"Ireland has many overcrowded hospitals and that is why MRSA infection has such a high incidence in this country.
"Until we tackle overcrowding, we will not tackle and reverse the trend with regard to MRSA and other cross-infections in hospitals."
