title: Being Met as marked - patients' experiences of being infected with community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is known that patients who acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in hospitals suffer and feel as plague. Moreover, the patient interaction with nurses and physicians is described as frightening. Little is known about patient experiences after having acquired CA-MRSA concerning care and everyday life.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To reveal and interpret otherwise healthy patients' lived experiences of receiving care and their everyday life after having acquired community MRSA (CA-MRSA).
  
  
  METHODS
  A phenomenological hermeneutic approach guided by Ricouer was conducted. Interviews with twelve patients were transcribed verbatim into a text. The text was analysed in three phases: naive understanding, structural analysis and comprehensive understanding to reveal a possible being in the world. In this study, this referred to what it means to be infected with CA-MRSA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The findings indicate that patients who acquired MRSA experience a changed body image. They suffer from ignorant and frightened behavior from healthcare workers, social contacts, and also of being bullied by colleagues. Despite this, patients assume great responsibility for protecting others. However, knowledgeable staff alleviate suffering and bring peace of mind to the patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preventing patient's feelings of being a pest, an outsider living with fear, requires urgent education and understanding about resistant bacteria and how to meet an infected patient. The results describing patients, affected with MRSA, may contribute and touch the readers to better understanding of patient's changed body image and suffering and how to mitigate these feelings.
authors.affiliation: Infection Control Unit, Institution of Biomedicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Skyman
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Caring Sciences, Work Life & Social Welfare, Borås University, Borås, Sweden.
authors.forename: Berit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lindahl
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ingegerd
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bergbom
authors.affiliation: Centre of development, Region Västra Götaland, Sweden.
authors.forename: Harrieth Thunberg
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Sjöström
authors.affiliation: Infection Control Unit, Institution of Biomedicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.|Strama, The Swedish Strategic Programme against Antibiotic Resistance, Region Västra Götaland, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Åhrén
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D066297:Hermeneutics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: abject; experience; ignorance; interaction; methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; nursing; outsider; patient; vulnerable