Infection control
Standard and transmission-based precautions
- Standard precautions minimise the risk of transmission of health care related infections
- Transmission-based precautions are used as well as standard precautions when standard precautions alone are not sufficient to prevent the spread of an infectious agent
- Transmission-based precautions are based upon the mode of transmission of the infectious agent
Standard precautions
- Apply to all patients regardless of their diagnosis or presumed infection status
- Must be used in the handling of
- Blood (including dried blood)
- All other body fluids/substances (except sweat), regardless of whether they contain visible blood
- Non-intact skin
- Mucous membranes
- Consist of
- Hand hygiene before and after all contact
- Use of personal protective equipment, which may include gloves, impermeable gowns, plastic aprons, masks, face shields and eye protection
- Safe use and disposal of sharps
- Use of aseptic 'non-touch' technique for all invasive procedures, including appropriate use of skin disinfectants
- Reprocessing of reusable instruments and equipment
- Routine environmental cleaning
- Waste management
- Respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette
- Appropriate handling of linen
Transmission-based precautions
- Transmission-based precautions (TBP) are used in addition to standard precautions when standard precautions alone may be insufficient to prevent transmission of infection
- The type of TBP applied is based upon the mode of transmission of the pathogen
- For diseases that have multiple routes of transmission, more than one TBP category is applied
Table 1.1 Transmission-based precautions required according to route of transmission
- Hand Hygiene Australia website
- Donning and doffing poster