Directions: Hospitals And Other Healthcare Settings Will Oft

Directions: Hospitals and other healthcare settings will often implement Transmission-Based Precautions to prevent or help reduce the spread of infections to healthcare workers, as well other patients in their care. These Transmission-Based Precautions are designed to supplement standard precautions in patients/residents with documented or suspected infection/colonization of highly transmissible or epidemiologically important pathogens. The three categories of Transmission-Based Precautions include: Contact Precautions Droplet Precautions Airborne Precautions For your initial post , choose one of the Transmission Based Precautions listed above to report on. Research your selection and provide answers to the following questions: When should the precaution be implemented?

What type of PPE should be used by a health care worker providing care to the patient? Are there any other considerations that apply when caring for a patient with this type of precaution? Finally, list some examples of diseases that fall into this category.

Transmission-Based Precautions are critical safety measures implemented in healthcare settings to minimize the spread of infectious agents among patients and healthcare workers. These precautions are applied based on the mode of transmission of specific pathogens and are used in addition to standard precautions. Among the three categories—Contact Precautions, Droplet Precautions, and Airborne Precautions—this discussion focuses on Droplet Precautions, which are essential in controlling infections transmitted through respiratory droplets.

When should Droplet Precautions be implemented?

Droplet Precautions are initiated when caring for patients known or suspected to be infected with pathogens that transmit via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, talks, or procedures that generate droplets. Implementation is urgent upon identification or suspicion of such infections to prevent the dissemination of infectious particles. These precautions should be maintained for the duration of infectiousness, which varies depending on the pathogen, and are particularly important during outbreaks of respiratory illnesses such as influenza or meningococcal disease. The decision to implement droplet precautions is typically made based on clinical diagnosis, laboratory results, or epidemiological links to known outbreaks.

What type of PPE should be used by healthcare workers providing care?

Healthcare workers must utilize specific personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent exposure to respiratory droplets. The standard PPE includes a well-fitted surgical mask to cover the nose and mouth, eye protection such as goggles or a face shield, gloves, and a gown if contact with bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces is anticipated. Proper donning and doffing procedures are crucial to prevent self-contamination. The mask used must be able to filter large respiratory particles effectively; therefore, fluid-resistant surgical masks are recommended for droplet precautions. PPE use should be consistent during all patient interactions where exposure to respiratory secretions is possible.

Are there other considerations when caring for a patient with Droplet Precautions?

Beyond PPE, other important considerations include patient placement, environmental controls, and visitor policies. Patients requiring droplet precautions should ideally be placed in private rooms with their door closed to limit droplet dissemination. When private rooms are unavailable, cohorting patients infected with the same pathogen can be considered. Healthcare workers should practice strict hand hygiene before and after patient contact, following protocols established by infection control guidelines. Proper disposal of contaminated materials and environmental cleaning with disinfectants effective against respiratory pathogens are essential for reducing environmental contamination. Additionally, limiting the number of healthcare workers and visitors exposed to the patient can help contain infection spread. Education of staff and visitors about the importance of transmission precautions is also vital for compliance and safety.

Examples of diseases that fall under Droplet Precautions

  • Influenza (flu)
  • Neisseria meningitidis infections (meningococcal meningitis or septicemia)
  • Rubella (German measles)
  • Mumps (parotitis)
  • Pertussis (whooping cough)
  • Pharyngitis caused by streptococci (strep throat)
  • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)

References

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Transmission-Based Precautions. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/basics/transmission-based-precautions.html
  • World Health Organization. (2020). Infection prevention and control during health care when COVID-19 is suspected. WHO. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/10665-331495
  • Siegel, J. D., Rhinehart, E., Jackson, M., Chiarello, L., & Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee. (2007). 2007 Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 28(12), 1419-1432. https://doi.org/10.1086/520577
  • Boyce, J. M., & Pittet, D. (2002). Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 23(Suppl 20), S3–S40. https://doi.org/10.1086/502790
  • Rutala, W. A., & Weber, D. J. (2019). Disinfection, sterilization, and control of hospital waste. In Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases (pp. 3327-3340). Elsevier.
  • Harbarth, S., Sax, H., & Gastmeier, P. (2008). The preventable proportion of healthcare-associated infections: an overview of recent meta-analyses. Journal of Hospital Infection, 70(4), 222-229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2008.06.029
  • CDC. (2019). Mumps Virus. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/mumps/index.html
  • Morse, S. S. (2012). Contagious disease and infection control: from influenza to Ebola. Vaccine, 30, B20-B22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2012.01.081
  • Green, M., & Edmiston, C. E. (2021). Disinfection and sterilization in infection prevention. Surgical Infections, 22(2), 145-154. https://doi.org/10.1089/sur.2020.295
  • Johnson, D. E., & Bolander, J. (2010). Infection control in health care facilities. Journal of the American Medical Association, 304(12), 1347-1348. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2010.1272

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