
Standard precautions consist of the following practices:
- hand hygiene before and after all patient contact
- the use of personal protective equipment, which may include gloves, impermeable gowns, plastic aprons, masks, face shields and eye protection
- the safe use and disposal of sharps
- the use of aseptic “non-touch” technique for all invasive procedures, including appropriate use of skin disinfectants
What are the 3 universal precautions?
- Education.
- Hand washing.
- Use of protective barriers (Personal Protective Equipment (PPE))
- Cleaning of contaminated surfaces.
- Safe handling/disposal of contaminated material.
What are some examples of standard precautions?
- Use personal protective equipment (PPE) appropriately, including gloves and gown. ...
- Limit transport and movement of patients outside of the room to medically-necessary purposes. ...
- Use disposable or dedicated patient-care equipment (e.g., blood pressure cuffs). ...
What are the elements of standard precautions?
what are the Five elements of Standard Precautions? 1- hand hygiene: proper hand washing and the use of alcohol-based hand rub 2- The use of personal protective equipment (PPE): gloves, gowns, face mask, eye goggles or face shield, resuscitation mouthpiece
What is OSHA standard precautions?
STANDARD PRECAUTIONS are basic infection control guidelines for you to follow as you perform your daily work. Standard Precautions include: Washing your hands. Using protective equipment like gloves, gowns, and masks. Handling infectious waste material properly. Standard Precautions are written and regulated by OSHA (the Occupational

What are examples of standard precautions?
Standard PrecautionsHand hygiene.Use of personal protective equipment (e.g., gloves, masks, eyewear).Respiratory hygiene / cough etiquette.Sharps safety (engineering and work practice controls).Safe injection practices (i.e., aseptic technique for parenteral medications).Sterile instruments and devices.More items...
What are the 10 standard precautions?
The 10 Standard Infection Control Precautions (SICP)Patient assessment for infection risk.Hand hygiene.Respiratory and cough hygiene.Personal protective equipment (PPE)Safe management of equipment.Safe management of environment.Safe management of blood and body fluids.Safe management of linen.More items...•
What is the standard precautions policy?
Standard precautions are the primary strategy for minimising the risk of transmission of healthcare-associated infections. Standard precautions are work practices that provide a basic level of infection prevention and are applied to everyone, regardless of perceived or confirmed infectious status.
When should the nurse use standard precautions?
Standard precautions are to be used for all patients at all times and include hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and care and cleaning of the environment. Hand hygiene should be performed frequently via hand washing and use of an alcohol based antiseptic.
What PPE is used for standard precautions?
PPE includes items such as gloves, gowns, masks, respirators, and eyewear used to create barriers that protect skin, clothing, mucous membranes, and the respiratory tract from infectious agents.
What are the 5 types of precautions?
Infection Control and Prevention - Transmission-based precautionsContact Precautions. ... Droplet Precautions. ... Airborne Precautions. ... Eye Protection.
What are the 3 infection control procedures?
There are five key infection control procedures that should be observed.Hand hygiene. Hand hygiene is one of the most fundamental parts of infection control. ... Wearing appropriate PPE. ... Environmental cleaning. ... Waste management. ... Transmission-based precautions.
In what order do you apply PPE?
Putting on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Perform hand hygiene before putting on PPE. The order for putting on PPE is Apron or Gown, Surgical Mask, Eye Protection (where required) and Gloves.
What are 3 types of isolation precautions?
Transmission-Based Precautions. There are three categories of Transmission-Based Precautions: Contact Precautions, Droplet Precautions, and Airborne Precautions.
What is the difference between standard and universal precautions?
"Universal precautions are mandated for home health agencies but the type of pathogens that exist today require standard precautions that protect staff and patients against more threats of infection than universal precautions," says Barbara B.
What are the three 3 types of additional precautions?
Types of Additional Precautions. There are three categories of additional precautions: contact precautions, droplet precautions, and airborne precautions.
What are standard precautions CNA?
What is Standard Precautions? definition. Minimum infection control practices that protect clients, visitors, and staff. They include hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, respiratory hygiene, sharps containers, sterile instruments, and clean environmental surfaces.
What are standard infection control precautions?
Content1.1 Patient Placement/Assessment for infection risk.1.2 Hand Hygiene.1.3 Respiratory and Cough Hygiene.1.4 Personal Protective Equipment.1.5 Safe Management of Care Equipment.1.6 Safe Management of Care Environment.1.7 Safe Management of Linen.1.8 Safe Management of Blood and Body Fluid Spillages.More items...
Why standard precautions are important?
Standard precautions are meant to reduce the risk of transmission of bloodborne and other pathogens from both recognized and unrecognized sources. They are the basic level of infection control precautions which are to be used, as a minimum, in the care of all patients.
When do you practice standard precautions?
Standard precautions must be practiced all the time for every patient. Standard precautions should be practiced before, during, and after patient c...
What are CDC standard precautions?
Standard precautions were created by the CDC to stop the spread of blood borne pathogens but have since evolved to include other modes of transmiss...
What is meant by standard precautions?
Standard precautions are practices in healthcare settings that help minimize the spread of infection amongst nurses and other healthcare providers...
What are standard precautions?
Standard Precautions are the minimum infection prevention practices that apply to all patient care, regardless of suspected or confirmed infection status of the patient, in any setting where health care is delivered . These practices are designed to both protect DHCP and prevent DHCP from spreading infections among patients.
Why is hand hygiene important?
Hand hygiene is the most important measure to prevent the spread of infections among patients and DHCP. Education and training programs should thoroughly address indications and techniques for hand hygiene practices before performing routine and oral surgical procedures.
Why are education and training important to DHCP?
Education and training are critical elements of Standard Precautions, because they help DHCP make appropriate decisions and comply with recommended practices. When Standard Precautions alone cannot prevent transmission, they are supplemented with Transmission-Based Precautions.
How to hold needle cap when recapping?
Use either a one-handed scoop technique or a mechanical device designed for holding the needle cap when recapping needles (e.g., between multiple injections and before removing from a non-disposable aspirating syringe).
How to perform a surgical hand scrub?
For surgical procedures, 1 perform a surgical hand scrub before putting on sterile surgeon’s gloves. For all types of hand hygiene products, follow the product manufacturer’s label for instructions.
When to wear gloves?
Wear gloves whenever there is potential for contact with blood, body fluids, mucous membranes, non-intact skin or contaminated equipment.
When to use second tier infection prevention?
This second tier of infection prevention is used when patients have diseases that can spread through contact, droplet or airborne routes (e.g., skin contact, sneezing, coughing) and are always used in addition to Standard Precautions.
What are the precautions for nursing?
While there are many components of standard precautions, those centered around nursing care include hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and care and cleaning of the environment.
What are Standard Precautions?
Standard precautions were first established in 1996 by the Centers for Disease Control ( CDC) with a goal of preventing the spread of communicable diseases in hospitals and healthcare settings. They have since become one of the cornerstones of infection prevention.
How to prevent pathogens from spreading?
Hand hygiene can be performed by washing with soap and water or using an antiseptic foam or gel to kill pathogens on the skin.
What is PPE in nursing?
Personal protective equipment (PPE) refers to the clothing and devices designed to protect the wearer's body from exposure to infection. PPE can include gloves, face masks, gowns, and more. The nurse's use of PPE should be guided by the anticipated exposure to blood and body fluids.
Why do we wear masks between patients?
A face mask is worn to cover the mouth and nose during activities that are likely to generate splashes of blood, body fluids, and respiratory secretions.
Why is it important to clean and disinfect patient equipment?
Routine cleaning and disinfecting of patient equipment and potentially contaminated surfaces and objects in the environment (such as doorknobs) is essential to reducing the transmission of pathogens.
When should PPE be removed?
PPE should always be removed before leaving a patient's room and entering a common area such as a hallway. Gloves should be worn whenever there is a chance of coming in contact with blood or body fluids, with broken skin, and mucous membranes.
What is standard precautions?
Standard and isolation precautions are steps we follow to prevent the transmission of infection diseases. On the NCLEX exam and for nursing lecture exams, you need to be familiar with each precaution, what diseases are included in transmission-based precautions (which is the same as isolation precautions), and PPE worn.
Why are standard precautions important?
Standard Precautions. These are precautions we take with EVERY patient at ALL times because we don’t know if they have an infectious disease. By implementing these practices, we help prevent transmission of infectious diseases from one to another (ex: patient to nurse, nurse to patient, or patient to patient).
What is hand hygiene?
Highlights to Remember: Hand hygiene: performed before and after patient contact, after wearing gloves, touching surfaces in a patient’s room. Perform hand hygiene by using soap and water or hand sanitizer.
How far away should you be from other patients?
Keep a distance of 3 feet or more from other patients and visitors.
When do you need gloves?
Gloves: needed if coming into contact with fluids (vomit, stool, urine, mucous etc.) and blood.
Do you have to wear a mask when transporting a patient?
Limit transport unless necessary (have procedures performed at the bedside as much as possible). If patient has to leave the room , the patient must wear a surgical mask.
Do you have to wear PPE at all times during patient contact?
NOTE: Now with certain transmission-based precautions you will be REQUIRED to wear specific PPE at ALL TIMES during patient contact. Therefore, when answering NCLEX questions always ask yourself “I s this person in isolation precautions? If, so what PPE must I wear at all times?'” AND “What type of PPE do I need based on the care I will be providing?”
What is standard precaution?
Standard Precautions. Standard precautions are the basic level of infection control that should be used in the care of all patients all of the time. Use standard precautions in the care of all patients to reduce the risk of transmission of microorganisms from both recognized and non-recognized sources of infection.
Why use standard precautions in the care of all patients?
Use standard precautions in the care of all patients to reduce the risk of transmission of microorganisms from both recognized and non-recognized sources of infection.
When to apply gloves?
Apply gloves just before touching mucous membranes or contacting blood, body fluids, secretions, or excretions. Remove gloves promptly after use and discard before touching non-contaminated items or environmental surfaces, and before providing care to another patient. Wash hands immediately after removing gloves.
What are the standard precautions?
Standard Precautions combine the major features of Universal Precautions (UP) 780, 896 and Body Substance Isolation (BSI) 640 and are based on the principle that all blood, body fluids, secretions, excretions except sweat, nonintact skin, and mucous membranes may contain transmissible infectious agents. Standard Precautions include a group of infection prevention practices that apply to all patients, regardless of suspected or confirmed infection status, in any setting in which healthcare is delivered ( Table 4 ). These include: hand hygiene; use of gloves, gown, mask, eye protection, or face shield, depending on the anticipated exposure; and safe injection practices. Also, equipment or items in the patient environment likely to have been contaminated with infectious body fluids must be handled in a manner to prevent transmission of infectious agents (e.g., wear gloves for direct contact, contain heavily soiled equipment, properly clean and disinfect or sterilize reusable equipment before use on another patient).
When are transmission-based precautions used?
Transmission-Based Precautions are used when the route (s) of transmission is (are) not completely interrupted using Standard Precautions alone. For some diseases that have multiple routes of transmission (e.g., SARS), more than one Transmission-Based Precautions category may be used.
How long are transmission precautions in effect?
Transmission-Based Precautions remain in effect for limited periods of time (i.e., while the risk for transmission of the infectious agent persists or for the duration of the illness (Appendix A). For most infectious diseases, this duration reflects known patterns of persistence and shedding of infectious agents associated with the natural history of the infectious process and its treatment. For some diseases (e.g., pharyngeal or cutaneous diphtheria, RSV), Transmission-Based Precautions remain in effect until culture or antigen-detection test results document eradication of the pathogen and, for RSV, symptomatic disease is resolved. For other diseases, (e.g., M. tuberculosis) state laws and regulations, and healthcare facility policies, may dictate the duration of precautions 12 ). In immunocompromised patients, viral shedding can persist for prolonged periods of time (many weeks to months) and transmission to others may occur during that time; therefore, the duration of contact and/or droplet precautions may be prolonged for many weeks. 500, 928-933
What are droplet precautions?
Droplet Precautions are intended to prevent transmission of pathogens spread through close respiratory or mucous membrane contact with respiratory secretions as described in I.B.3.b. Because these pathogens do not remain infectious over long distances in a healthcare facility, special air handling and ventilation are not required to prevent droplet transmission. Infectious agents for which Droplet Precautions are indicated are found in Appendix A and include B. pertussis, influenza virus, adenovirus, rhinovirus, N. meningitides, and group A streptococcus (for the first 24 hours of antimicrobial therapy). A single patient room is preferred for patients who require Droplet Precautions. When a single-patient room is not available, consultation with infection control personnel is recommended to assess the various risks associated with other patient placement options (e.g., cohorting, keeping the patient with an existing roommate). Spatial separation of ≥3 feet and drawing the curtain between patient beds is especially important for patients in multi-bed rooms with infections transmitted by the droplet route. Healthcare personnel wear a mask (a respirator is not necessary) for close contact with infectious patient; the mask is generally donned upon room entry. Patients on Droplet Precautions who must be transported outside of the room should wear a mask if tolerated and follow Respiratory Hygiene/Cough Etiquette.
What are the two tiers of HICPAC/CDC precautions?
There are two tiers of HICPAC/CDC precautions to prevent transmission of infectious agents, Standard Precautions and Transmission-Based Precautions. Standard Precautions are intended to be applied to the care of all patients in all healthcare settings, regardless of the suspected or confirmed presence of an infectious agent. ...
What is a protective environment?
A Protective Environment is designed for allogeneic HSCT patients to minimize fungal spore counts in the air and reduce the risk of invasive environmental fungal infections (see Table 5 for specifications). 11, 13-15 The need for such controls has been demonstrated in studies of aspergillus outbreaks associated with construction. 11, 14, 15, 157, 158 As defined by the American Insitute of Architecture 13 and presented in detail in the Guideline for Environmental Infection Control 2003, 11, 861 air quality for HSCT patients is improved through a combination of environmental controls that include
How far apart should a patient with respiratory infections be?
spatial separation, ideally >3 feet, of persons with respiratory infections in common waiting areas when possible.
