Contact precautions
Contact precautions are essential safety measures implemented in healthcare settings to prevent the spread of infectious diseases transmitted through direct or indirect contact. These precautions are particularly important for diseases such as MRSA, scabies, and varicella, which may spread through interaction with an infected person or contaminated objects. Key elements of contact precautions include the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) like gloves and gowns, which must be worn when interacting with infected patients or their environment. Hand hygiene is emphasized, with healthcare personnel and visitors required to wash their hands frequently, especially before entering or after leaving a patient's room.
Additionally, dedicating specific medical equipment exclusively for the use of infected patients helps to minimize cross-contamination. Signage on patients' doors alerts others to the necessary contact precautions, ensuring that all individuals entering the room are aware of the risks and protective measures. By adhering to these protocols, healthcare workers and visitors can significantly reduce the likelihood of transmitting infections within medical facilities, promoting a safer environment for patients and staff alike.
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Contact precautions
Contact precautions are safety measures taken in health care facilities to help prevent the transmission of infectious diseases that can be spread by contact. Common contact precautions include wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves and gowns; hand washing; dedicating medical equipment to only the infected patient; and placing a sign on the patient's door that informs others of contact precautions. By employing these safety measures, health care personnel and visitors can prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
Overview
Health care facilities such as hospitals and doctor's offices often treat patients who have infectious diseases. Some of these diseases, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), scabies, and varicella (chickenpox), can be spread by direct or indirect contact. Direct contact involves body-to-body interaction between the infected patient and a susceptible individual. For example, the susceptible individual can contract the infectious disease simply by touching the infected patient. Indirect contact involves contact between a susceptible individual and an object that became contaminated by the infected patient. A contaminated towel is an example of such an object.
To prevent the transmission of infectious diseases by contact, health care personnel and visitors must employ certain contact precautions. One of the most common contact precautions is the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), which is equipment that is worn to help prevent the spread of disease. The most frequently used PPE are gloves. Health care employees or visitors of a patient with an infectious disease should wear disposable gloves every time he or she touches the infected patient or the patient's surroundings. Another type of PPE is a gown. Employees or visitors should wear a disposable, fluid-resistant gown whenever he or she comes in contact with the infected patient or the patient's surroundings. Gloves and gowns should be removed and discarded immediately after use; they should not be reused. Other PPE is available, including surgical masks and respirators, but such equipment usually is reserved for other types of precautions involving droplets and airborne pathogens (germs). These precautions are safety measures taken to help prevent the transmission of infectious diseases that can be spread by particles in the air.
Hand washing is another contact precaution. The employee or visitor should frequently wash his or her hands with soap and water, especially before entering the infected patient's room and also after leaving the room. This includes washing one's hands immediately after removing and discarding gloves and/or a gown.
Another contact precaution is dedicating medical equipment to only the infected patient. With this contact precaution, the employee uses the medical equipment solely on the infected patient. Medical equipment that can be dedicated in this way includes stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs.
Placing a sign on the infected patient's door is yet another contact precaution. The sign should inform employees and visitors of contact precautions that need to be taken upon entering the infected patient's room.
Bibliography
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"Contact Precautions." Minnesota Department of Health, www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/dtopics/infectioncontrol/pre/contact.html. Accessed 16 Dec. 2016.
"Contact Precautions: Stop the Spread of Germs." Interior Health, www.interiorhealth.ca/YourStay/InfectionPreventionControl/Pages/ContactPrecautions.aspx. Accessed 16 Dec. 2016.
"Infectious Diseases—A to Z List." State of Rhode Island Department of Health, www.health.ri.gov/diseases/infectious/. Accessed 16 Dec. 2016.
"Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA): General Information about MRSA in the Community." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/mrsa/community/. Accessed 16 Dec. 2016.
"Parasites—Scabies: Scabies Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/parasites/scabies/gen‗info/faqs.html. Accessed 16 Dec. 2016.
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"Standard Precautions and Transmission-Based Precautions." Virginia Department of Health, www.vdh.virginia.gov/surveillance-and-investigation/healthcare-associated-infections-hais/standard-precautions-and-transmission-based-precautions-2/. Accessed 16 Dec. 2016.