Standard precautions including hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment like gloves and gowns, and environmental cleaning are the basic level of infection control and should be followed for all patient care. Additional transmission-based precautions like airborne, droplet, or contact precautions are implemented based on the pathogen and route of transmission. Proper use of personal protective equipment, patient placement, and monitoring of isolation practices helps prevent the spread of infectious diseases in healthcare settings.
5. A. Standard Precautions
Standard precautions are to be followed for all
patients, irrespective of their infection status.
These are to be used to avoid contact with
blood, body fluids, secretions and excretions
regardless of whether contaminated grossly
with blood or not; non intact skin; and mucous
membrane.
They are the basic level of infection control
precautions which are to be used, as a
minimum, in the care of all patients.
6. Infection control measure to be
undertaken by hospital
Use standard precaution for the care of all patients.
This general mandate is necessary because it is
sometimes not known if the patient is colonized or
infected with certain pathogenic microorganisms.
Barrier precautions reduce the need to handle sharps.
7.
8. B.TransmissionPrecautions
The second tier condenses the disease-specific
and categories approach to isolation into new
transmission categories to be taken based on
the route of transmission of organisms like
contact precautions, airborne precautions, etc.
These precautions are designed for specific
patients with highly transmissible pathogens
9. Airborneprecautions
In additions to standard precautions, use
airborne precautions for patients known or
suspected to have serious illness transmitted
by airborne droplet nuclei.
Ex- Measles, Varicella, Tuberculosis,
Smallpox
10. Infectioncontrolmeasuretobeundertakenbyhospital
Patient in private room that has monitored negative air
pressure, 6-12 air changes per hour, and appropriate
discharge of air outdoors or monitored HEPA filtration of
room air before air is circulated to other areas of the
hospital or cohorting of patients- that is, placing patients
with the same infection in the same room, if private
rooms are not available.
Health care workers (HCWs) to wear respiratory
protection when entering room of patient with known or
suspected tuberculosis and, if not immune, for patients
with measles or varicella as well.
Transport patients out of their room only after placement
of a surgical mask.
11. Droplet precautions
Place patient in private room without special
air handling or ventilation or cohort patients
HCWs should wear mask when working
within 3 feet of patient
Transfer patients out of their room only after
placement of a surgical mask.
12. Tuberculosis isolation
TB isolation should be practiced for all
patients with known or suspected TB.
Isolation is mandatory in a single-patient room
designated as negative-pressure airflow and
having at least 6-12 air exchanges per hour.
It is necessary to vent room air to the outside
and, to maintain negative pressure, to close the
door
13. It is obligatory for health care workers to wear an
N-95 or higher particulate respirator mask when
entering an isolation room (check agency's policy
for type of mask)
It is obligatory for health care workers to be fit-
tested before using a respirator for the first time.
This ensures that the type and the size of the
respirator is appropriate for the individual
It is obligatory for health care workers to fit-
check there respirator's fit before each use
Respirator is permitted to be reused and stored
according to manufacturer's recommendations
and agency policy
14. Contact Precautions
In addition to standard precautions, use contact
precautions for patients known or suspected to
have serious illnesses easily transmitted by direct
patient contact or by contact with items in the
patient's environment.
Examples of such illnesses include the following:
Gastrointestinal,
respiratory, skin, or wound infections or
colonization with multidrug-resistant bacteria.
15. Immunocompromised patients
They are generally at increased risk for bacterial, fungal,
parasitic, and viral infections from both endogenous and
exogenous sources
Leukopenic patients will sometimes require additional
protective measures, other than standard precautions.
In such instances, the physician instructs nursing staff as to
the necessary protective measures (e.g., masks, private
room).
They place an isolation sign on the door, which lists the
additional protective measures that staff and visitors are
required to follow for the safety of the patient
16. Monitoring of isolation
Transmission-based isolation practices are
monitored on an ongoing basis by the
infection preventionist
17.
18. Standard Precaution
1. Hand Hygiene
Hand washing (40-60 sec): Wet hands and
apply soap; rub all surfaces; rinse hands and
dry thoroughly with a single use towel; use
towel to turn off faucet.
Hand rubbing (20-30 sec): Apply enough
product to cover all areas of the hands; rub
hands until dry.
19. Indications:
Before and after any direct patient contact
and between patients, whether or not gloves
are worn.
Immediately after gloves are removed.
Before handling an invasive device.
After touching blood, body fluids, secretions,
excretions, non intact skin, and contaminated
items, even if gloves are worn.
During patient care, when moving from a
contaminated to a clean body site of the
patient.
20. Gloves
Wear when touching blood, body fluids,
secretions.
Change between tasks and procedures on the
same patient after contact with potentially
infectious material..
Remove after use, before touching non-
contaminated items and surfaces, and before
going to another patient.
Perform hand hygiene immediately after
removal.
21. 3. Facial protection (eyes, nose, and
mouth)
Wear (1) a surgical or procedure mask and eye
protection (eye visor, goggles) or (2) a face
shield to protect mucous membranes of the
eyes, nose, and mouth during activities that
are likely to generate splashes or sprays of
blood, body fluids, secretions, and excretions.
22. 4. Gown
Wear to protect skin and prevent soiling of
clothing during activities that are likely to
generate splashes or sprays of blood, body
fluids, secretions, or excretions..
Remove soiled gown as soon as possible, and
perform hand hygiene.
23. 5. Prevention of needle stick injuries from
other sharp instrument
Use Care
Handling needles, scalpels, and other sharp
instruments or devices
Cleaning used instruments
Disposing of used needles and other sharp
instruments.
24. 6. Respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette
Persons with respiratory symptoms should apply
source control measures:
Cover their nose and mouth when
coughing/sneezing with tissue or mask,
dispose of used tissues and masks, and
perform hand hygiene after contact with
respiratory secretions
25. 7. Environmental cleaning
Use adequate procedures for the routine
cleaning and disinfection of environmental
and other frequently touched surfaces.
26. 8. Linens
Handle, transport, and process used linen in a
manner which:
Prevents skin and mucous membrane exposures
and contamination of clothing.
Avoids transfer of pathogens to other patients
and or the environment.
27. 9. Waste disposal
Ensure safe waste management.
Treat waste contaminated with blood body fluids,
secretions and excretions as clinical waste, in
accordance with local regulations.
Human tissues and laboratory waste that is
directly associated with specimen processing
should also be treated as clinical waste.
Discard single use items properly.
28. 10. Patient care equipment
Handle equipment soiled with blood, body fluids,
secretions, and excretions in a manner that
prevents skin and mucous membrane exposures,
contamination of clothing, and transfer of
pathogens to other patients or the environment.
Clean, disinfect, and reprocess reusable
equipment appropriately before use with another
patient.