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.

  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

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.