Standard Precautions – Keeping Yourself and Others Safe

Standard precautions are an important tool to keep you and your family safe. They are a set of guidelines that should be followed to help prevent the spread of disease and infection. The goal is to protect against the transmission of communicable and contagious diseases. Everyone has a responsibility to take part in practicing and promoting these precautions.

What are Standard Precautions?

Standard precautions are a set of infection control practices recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to help reduce the transmission of illnesses from person-to-person and environment-to-person. These precautions are based on the type of care being given and the type of contact being made with the patient. The guidelines follow the principles of Universal Precautions and Body Substance Isolation, and they are divided into three categories: routine practices, contact precautions, and droplet precautions.

Routine Practices

Routine practices should be followed in all settings where care is provided. This includes hand hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE), safely disposing of waste, and the cleaning and disinfection of surfaces and equipment.

Hand hygiene is the most important of the routine practices and involves washing with soap and water, and where applicable, using an alcohol-based hand rub. Proper use of PPE and following good cleaning and disinfection procedures helps protect you from exposure to infectious contaminants, like blood, body fluids, and other hazardous materials.

Contact Precautions

These precautions should be taken when contact with the patient is likely to result in the transmission of infectious agents, such as through contact with the patient’s bodily fluids or by touching the patient’s skin. PPE and hand hygiene are essential, and contact with the patient should be minimized.

Droplet Precautions

These precautionary measures should be taken when there is a risk of transmission of infectious agents via droplet contact. This includes respiratory viruses, like influenza and measles. This can be done by limiting contact with the patient, using PPE, and avoiding hand-to-hand contact.

Why Are Standard Precautions Important?

Standard precautions are important because they help to reduce the risk of infection and the spread of disease. Everyone should practice these precautions to protect themselves, their families, and the patients in their care. When everyone follows the recommended guidelines, the risk of infection is greatly reduced.

Conclusion

These standard precautions can help protect you and those around you from getting infected and spreading the virus. It is everyone’s responsibility to follow the guidelines to help keep everyone healthy and safe. Make sure you keep up to date with the latest information from the CDC, and if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to speak to a healthcare professional.