Standard Precautions for clinical settings have been developed to protect medical professionals and other patients from infected individuals.
We list basic guidelines established by the U.S. Center for Disease Control:
Good hand hygiene includes washing with soap and water or hand rubbing with alcohol-based products before and after direct contact with patients, devices, and other objects.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) includes gloves, masks, and gowns that create a barrier between the medical professional and infected individuals or contaminated objects.
Respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette means that individuals, including patients, should cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing. Patients with respiratory symptoms should be kept at least 1 meter away from other patients.
Proper patient placement requires that patients with infectious diseases should be separated from non-infected patients.
Maintenance of a clean environment means that the facility and commonly used objects are routinely cleaned and disinfected.
Careful handling of laundry calls for precautions be used to protect mucous membranes from exposure to infectious agents. For example, gloves should be worn when handling linens contaminated by bodily secretions.
Safe injection practices include careful handling and cleaning of injection paraphernalia; syringes and needles should never be re-used.
Sharps safety ensures that needles and other sharp tools, such as scalpels, are used and disposed of properly.
According to the CDC, over 1,000 healthcare professionals are injured by needles or other sharp devices every day.
Disinfection:
The killing of most microorganisms, but not all.
For example, bacterial spores can survive disinfectants.
Antiseptics:
Disinfectants that are applied to living tissues, such as wounds, to kill microbes.
Less damaging than disinfectants designed for use on inanimate objects.
Sterilization:
The killing of all microorganisms.
Can be achieved via equipment autoclaving, solution filtration, or, in the case of equipment vulnerable to heat damage, exposure to ethylene gas.
