Standard Precautions

These standard precautions apply to all patients, regardless of suspected or confirmed infectious status. The application of standard precautions during patient care is determined by the nature of the interaction between the healthcare worker and the patient, in addition to the extent of anticipated blood, body fluid or pathogen exposure.6 These include but are not limited to the following.

- Hand washing: The World Health Organization’s “five moments of hand hygiene” include:

1. use of soap and water or alcohol-based sanitizer before patient contact;
2. before aseptic tasks;
3. after body fluid exposure risk;
4. after patient contact; and
5. after contact with patient surroundings, even if gloves were worn.7

The gold standard to ensure adherence is direct observation which allows for immediate corrective feedback.8

- Gloves: Use to prevent contamination of hands when anticipating direct contact with non-intact skin, mucous membranes and blood or body fluids (e.g., dressing changes, starting IVs).
- Gowns: Isolation gowns are specified by standard and transmission-based precautions to protect the healthcare worker’s arms and exposed body areas and prevent contamination of clothing with blood, body fluids, and other potentially infectious material (e.g., changing dressings or open wounds). Gowns are always used in conjunction with gloves.
- Masks: Masks protect healthcare workers from contact with infectious material originating from patients. They are also used to protect the patient when performing sterile techniques to protect patients from exposure to infectious agents carried in a healthcare workers’ mouth or nose.
- Goggles or Face Shields: Use is based on anticipated exposure. Personal eyeglasses and contact lenses are not considered adequate eye protection.

Emphasize basic infection prevention control efforts (for example, hand hygiene, cohorting, transmission-based isolation) to prevent spread from other hospitalized patients and to decrease antibiotic pressure selecting for resistant organisms.