The use of standard precautions is also applicable and essential for many non-health care environments, such as the personal care and body art industries. For more information on infection prevention and control guidelines for these industries, see the department's health guidelines for the personal care and body arts industries. Standard precautions are the minimum infection prevention and control practices that should be used at all times for all patients in all situations. Hand hygiene is considered to be one of the most important infection control measures to reduce the spread of infection. Hand hygiene is a general term that refers to any hand cleaning action, such as washing or rubbing your hands.
Microorganisms are present on the hands most of the time (resident flora) or are acquired during health activities (transient flora). The goal of hand hygiene is to reduce the amount of microorganisms present on the hands, especially transient flora, which may pose a greater risk of transmitting infections. See Hand Hygiene Australia/External Link for more information on hand hygiene and to view posters on “How to wash your hands” and “How to rub your hands”.Transmission-based precautions (TBP) are used in addition to standard precautions when standard precautions alone may be insufficient to prevent the transmission of an infection. TBPs are used for patients who are known or suspected of being infected or colonized by epidemiologically important or highly communicable pathogens that can transmit or cause infections.
TBPs are not necessary for patients with blood-borne viruses, such as HIV, the hepatitis B virus, or the hepatitis C virus. The type of TBP used depends on the mode of transmission of the pathogen. For diseases that have multiple routes of transmission, more than one category of PB applies. The following are the transmission routes.
Standard precautions are a set of protocols that aim to break the chain of infection. These primary practices should be used during every interaction with a resident. See the document on the right for information on CDC recommendations for standard precautions for the care of all patients. Standard precautions are used for all types of patients and are based on risk assessment, the use of sensible practices, and the appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect healthcare personnel (HCP) from exposure to infectious diseases and prevent patient-to-patient transmission.
Standard precautions are used regardless of whether an infectious disease has been identified or not and are the minimum level of caution used when providing care. The gloves protect the hands and allow the effective removal of organisms from the hands when followed by hand hygiene. Wear gloves when anticipating contact with blood, body fluids, secretions, or excrement on the hands of healthcare personnel. This may include changing bandages, direct contact with the patient's injured skin or mucous membranes, or draw blood from him.
Standard precautions are the work practices necessary to achieve a basic level of infection prevention and control. It's also crucial that team members apply isolation precautions to visitors and other members who don't comply with standard protocols to reduce the transmission of infections in the workplace. Standard precautions are the basic level of infection control that must be used at all times to care for all patients. The use of standard precautions is aimed at minimizing and, where possible, eliminating the risk of transmission of infections, in particular those caused by blood-borne viruses. Personal protective equipment that complies with relevant Australian standards must be easily available and accessible in all health services.
Standardized TBPS signage has been developed by the Australian Health Care Safety and Quality Commission and is available in vertical or horizontal style. In addition to universal standard precautions, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) defines the additional types of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) that are required for each type of precaution. The two-level approach of standard and transmission-based precautions provides a high level of protection to patients, healthcare workers and others in healthcare settings.
