Isolation Precautions and Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE)
Standard precautions - Answer infection prevention measures that apply to every
patient regardless of the potential infection status of the patient
Why are standard precautions used? - Answer Protect yourself - the patient may have
infections you don't know about
Prevent the spread of infections to other patients
Types of standard precautions - Answer Hand Hygiene
Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Respiratory Hygiene and Cough Etiquette
Patient Placement
Equipment for Patient Care
Cleaning the Environment
Handling Linens
Injection Safety
Sharps Safety
Hand hygiene - Answer Most important step in infection prevention
- use soap and water if hands are visibly soiled with bodily fluids, blood, or another
contaminant
- alcohol based hand-sanitizer can be used if hands are not visibly soiled
Hand hygiene is performed - Answer - Before and after coming into contact with a
patient
- Before and after donning or doffing gloves
- After touching any potentially contaminated equipment, materials, or surfaces
- When hands are visibly contaminated or soiled
PPE (personal protective equipment) - Answer - covers clothing and skin to prevent
contact with potentially infectious materials
- is one time use and never shared between patients
- Remove before leaving a patient's room
- Hand hygiene is always performed after removing
Types of PPE - Answer - gloves
- gown
- face masks, eye protection, goggles, face shields
Gloves - Answer protects against contact with blood, body fluids, mucous membranes,
or broken skin
, - are not a substitute for good hand hygiene
- worn only once and discarded appropriately according to facility policy
- then hands are thoroughly decontaminated with meticulous hand hygiene
- when there is a possibility of soiling the hands with body fluids, gloves must be worn
Gowns - Answer protects skin and clothes from contamination
- worn to prevent soiling of the health care worker's clothing by the patient's blood and
body fluids
- they provide barrier protection and are donned immediately before entering the
patient's room
- if a gown becomes heavily soiled or moistened with blood or body fluids when caring
for a patient, remove it, perform thorough hand hygiene, and put on a clean gown
ace masks, eye protection, goggles, face shields - Answer protects against splashing or
spraying of body fluids
- - help prevent the wearer from inhaling large-particle aerosols, which usually travel
short distances (about 3 ft), and small-particle droplet nuclei, which can remain
suspended in the air and travel longer distances
- protect the patient from the respiratory secretions of the health care worker
- they discourage the wearer from touching the eyes, nose, and mouth, thus limiting
contact of organisms with mucous membranes
respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette - Answer Applies to anyone with a respiratory
infection or cold (nurses, visitors, patients, etc.)
- Cover mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
- Dispose of tissues properly
- Hand hygiene after contact with respiratory secretions
- PPE - covers clothing and skin to prevent contact with potentially infectious materials
- Wear a mask with a persistent cough
- Sit away from others
Patient placement - Answer Transmission of infection factors into placement decisions
- Consider route of transmission
- Some patients may require a single-patient room
- Co-hortingpatients with similar infections
Equipment and Environment - Answer Follow facility policies for handling contaminated
equipment and cleaning the environment
- Wear PPE when handling contaminated equipment
- Use appropriate cleaning agents and follow sterilization procedures
- Clean surfaces that are likely contaminated - frequently touched surfaces or close to
the patient
- Use disinfectants that are appropriate for the pathogen
Protective Equipment (PPE)
Standard precautions - Answer infection prevention measures that apply to every
patient regardless of the potential infection status of the patient
Why are standard precautions used? - Answer Protect yourself - the patient may have
infections you don't know about
Prevent the spread of infections to other patients
Types of standard precautions - Answer Hand Hygiene
Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Respiratory Hygiene and Cough Etiquette
Patient Placement
Equipment for Patient Care
Cleaning the Environment
Handling Linens
Injection Safety
Sharps Safety
Hand hygiene - Answer Most important step in infection prevention
- use soap and water if hands are visibly soiled with bodily fluids, blood, or another
contaminant
- alcohol based hand-sanitizer can be used if hands are not visibly soiled
Hand hygiene is performed - Answer - Before and after coming into contact with a
patient
- Before and after donning or doffing gloves
- After touching any potentially contaminated equipment, materials, or surfaces
- When hands are visibly contaminated or soiled
PPE (personal protective equipment) - Answer - covers clothing and skin to prevent
contact with potentially infectious materials
- is one time use and never shared between patients
- Remove before leaving a patient's room
- Hand hygiene is always performed after removing
Types of PPE - Answer - gloves
- gown
- face masks, eye protection, goggles, face shields
Gloves - Answer protects against contact with blood, body fluids, mucous membranes,
or broken skin
, - are not a substitute for good hand hygiene
- worn only once and discarded appropriately according to facility policy
- then hands are thoroughly decontaminated with meticulous hand hygiene
- when there is a possibility of soiling the hands with body fluids, gloves must be worn
Gowns - Answer protects skin and clothes from contamination
- worn to prevent soiling of the health care worker's clothing by the patient's blood and
body fluids
- they provide barrier protection and are donned immediately before entering the
patient's room
- if a gown becomes heavily soiled or moistened with blood or body fluids when caring
for a patient, remove it, perform thorough hand hygiene, and put on a clean gown
ace masks, eye protection, goggles, face shields - Answer protects against splashing or
spraying of body fluids
- - help prevent the wearer from inhaling large-particle aerosols, which usually travel
short distances (about 3 ft), and small-particle droplet nuclei, which can remain
suspended in the air and travel longer distances
- protect the patient from the respiratory secretions of the health care worker
- they discourage the wearer from touching the eyes, nose, and mouth, thus limiting
contact of organisms with mucous membranes
respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette - Answer Applies to anyone with a respiratory
infection or cold (nurses, visitors, patients, etc.)
- Cover mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
- Dispose of tissues properly
- Hand hygiene after contact with respiratory secretions
- PPE - covers clothing and skin to prevent contact with potentially infectious materials
- Wear a mask with a persistent cough
- Sit away from others
Patient placement - Answer Transmission of infection factors into placement decisions
- Consider route of transmission
- Some patients may require a single-patient room
- Co-hortingpatients with similar infections
Equipment and Environment - Answer Follow facility policies for handling contaminated
equipment and cleaning the environment
- Wear PPE when handling contaminated equipment
- Use appropriate cleaning agents and follow sterilization procedures
- Clean surfaces that are likely contaminated - frequently touched surfaces or close to
the patient
- Use disinfectants that are appropriate for the pathogen
