Can You Get Staph in a Hospital? What Patients and Visitors Should Know

The short answer

Yes, you can. Staph is one of the germs behind infections people pick up during medical care. On any given day, about 1 in 31 U.S. hospital patients has an infection linked to their care, from any germ.¹ Put another way, 30 out of 31 patients don’t have one.

That number is a reason to pay attention, not to panic. Hospitals have strong programs to stop spread, and patients and visitors have a real role to play.

Why hospital patients face more risk

People in hospitals are often more vulnerable than people at home. The CDC notes a higher risk of staph infection for patients in intensive care, people who have had surgery, people with medical devices in their body, and people with weakened immune systems.² Being very ill makes it harder for the body to fight off germs that get in. Hospitals are also busy places, where many staff members see many patients in a day.

Surgical cuts and devices like catheters and IV lines give staph a way past the skin. In healthcare settings, MRSA usually spreads through contact with an infected wound or on hands.⁵ Patients who carry MRSA without symptoms can spread it, too.⁵

What hospitals do about it

Hospitals use several layers of protection. They follow CDC guidance to prevent infections tied to devices and procedures and to stop germs from passing between patients. Some also use decolonization, a routine that lowers the amount of staph a patient carries during high-risk times.³ You may see staff wear gowns and gloves for certain patients. That’s part of the same effort.

These efforts have made a difference. Hospital-onset MRSA bloodstream infections fell by about 17% a year from 2005 to 2012. Progress then leveled off, which is why the CDC continues to push for prevention.³ If you’re curious, ask your nurse what the hospital does to prevent infections. Most are glad to explain.

What you can do as a patient

• Speak up. Ask questions about your care and your risks.¹
• Ask about clean hands. It’s fine to say, “Would you mind cleaning your hands first?” Gloves alone are not enough.⁴
• Clean your own hands before eating, after using the bathroom, and after touching bed rails, tables, remotes or the phone.⁴
• Clean your hands before and after touching a wound dressing or bandage.⁴
• Ask about devices. If you have a catheter or IV line, ask each day whether it’s still needed.
• Know the signs of infection, such as fever or redness at a surgical site, and report them.¹
• Stay up to date on vaccines, like the yearly flu shot, to avoid other infections during recovery.¹

Tips for visitors

Visitors bring comfort. They can also bring germs in or carry them out, so a few habits go a long way.

• Stay home if you feel sick.¹
• Clean your hands when you walk into the room, before touching the patient or their things, and again when you leave.⁴
• If there’s a sign on the door asking you to wear a gown or gloves, follow it, and ask the nurse if you’re unsure what to do.
• Don’t sit on the patient’s bed or touch wounds, dressings or lines.

After you go home

The risk doesn’t stop at discharge. Watch for signs of infection, such as fever or redness and pain around a surgical site.¹ If a wound or device site becomes red, swollen, warm or starts draining, call your healthcare provider right away, especially if you have a fever.⁶ Keep caring for wounds the way your care team showed you, and clean your hands before and after changing a bandage.⁴ Keep watching until the wound has fully healed. Read more in staph after surgery.

When to see a doctor

During a stay, tell your nurse right away about any of these. After you go home, call your doctor:

• Fever or chills¹
• Redness, pain, warmth or drainage around a surgical cut or device site⁶
• A wound that looks worse instead of better
• Pain or burning when you urinate after having a catheter¹

Get urgent care or call 911 for a fever with fast-spreading redness, confusion, trouble breathing, or a baby who seems very sick.

Before a planned stay, write down your questions and bring a small bottle of hand sanitizer. It’s an easy way to take part in your own safety. And don’t be shy about reporting a symptom. Speaking up early is part of good care.