When do we use standard precautions

A chemical indicator should be used inside every package to verify that the sterilizing agent e. If the internal chemical indicator is not visible from the outside of the package, an external indicator should also be used.

External indicators can be inspected immediately when removing packages from the sterilizer. If the appropriate color change did not occur, do not use the instruments. Chemical indicators also help to differentiate between processed and unprocessed items, eliminating the possibility of using instruments that have not been sterilized.

Note: A single-parameter internal chemical indicator provides information regarding only one sterilization parameter e. Sterilization monitoring e. Maintaining accurate records ensures cycle parameters have been met and establishes accountability.

In addition, if there is a problem with a sterilizer e. Ideally, sterile instruments and supplies should be stored in covered or closed cabinets. Wrapped packages of sterilized instruments should be inspected before opening and use to ensure the packaging material has not been compromised e. The contents of any compromised packs should be reprocessed i. Recommendations for the cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization of dental equipment can be found in the Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings— pdf icon [PDF — 1.

Recommendations for the cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization of medical equipment are available in the Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities pdf icon [PDF — 1 MB] available at: www.

Policies and procedures for routine cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces should be included as part of the infection prevention plan. Cleaning removes large numbers of microorganisms from surfaces and should always precede disinfection. Disinfection is generally a less lethal process of microbial inactivation compared with sterilization that eliminates virtually all recognized pathogenic microorganisms but not necessarily all microbial forms e.

Emphasis for cleaning and disinfection should be placed on surfaces that are most likely to become contaminated with pathogens, including clinical contact surfaces e. When these surfaces are touched, microorganisms can be transferred to other surfaces, instruments or to the nose, mouth, or eyes of DHCP or patients. Although hand hygiene is the key to minimizing the spread of microorganisms, clinical contact surfaces should be barrier protected or cleaned and disinfected between patients.

Disinfectant products should not be used as cleaners unless the label indicates the product is suitable for such use. DHCP should follow manufacturer recommendations for use of products selected for cleaning and disinfection e. Facility policies and procedures should also address prompt and appropriate cleaning and decontamination of spills of blood or other potentially infectious materials.

Housekeeping surfaces, e. Use surface barriers to protect clinical contact surfaces, particularly those that are difficult to clean e. Clean and disinfect clinical contact surfaces that are not barrier-protected with an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant after each patient. Use an intermediate-level disinfectant i. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Oral Health. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate.

Standard Precautions. Minus Related Pages. Standard Precautions include — Hand hygiene. Use of personal protective equipment e.

Sharps safety engineering and work practice controls. Safe injection practices i. Sterile instruments and devices. Clean and disinfected environmental surfaces. Perform hand hygiene— a.

When hands are visibly soiled. Before and after treating each patient. Before putting on gloves and again immediately after removing gloves. Use soap and water when hands are visibly soiled e. Examples of appropriate use of PPE for adherence to Standard Precautions include— Use of gloves in situations involving possible contact with blood or body fluids, mucous membranes, non-intact skin e.

Use of protective clothing to protect skin and clothing during procedures or activities where contact with blood or body fluids is anticipated. Use of mouth, nose, and eye protection during procedures that are likely to generate splashes or sprays of blood or other body fluids.

Training should also stress preventing further spread of contamination while wearing PPE by: Keeping hands away from face. Limiting surfaces touched.

Removing PPE when leaving work areas. Performing hand hygiene. Wear gloves whenever there is potential for contact with blood, body fluids, mucous membranes, non-intact skin or contaminated equipment. Do not wear the same pair of gloves for the care of more than one patient. Do not wash gloves. Gloves cannot be reused. Perform hand hygiene immediately after removing gloves. Wear protective clothing that covers skin and personal clothing during procedures or activities where contact with blood, saliva, or OPIM is anticipated.

Wear mouth, nose, and eye protection during procedures that are likely to generate splashes or spattering of blood or other body fluids. Remove PPE before leaving the work area. Implement measures to contain respiratory secretions in patients and accompanying individuals who have signs and symptoms of a respiratory infection, beginning at point of entry to the facility and continuing throughout the visit.

Post signs at entrances with instructions to patients with symptoms of respiratory infection to— i. Use and dispose of tissues. Provide tissues and no-touch receptacles for disposal of tissues.

Provide resources for performing hand hygiene in or near waiting areas. Sharp items should be disposed of in containers that are puncture resistant, leak-proof, closable, and labeled with the biohazard symbol or are red in color. Items generated by local public health agencies that should be discarded into sharps containers include contaminated items that may easily cause cuts or punctures in the skin used needles, lancets, broken glass or rigid plastic vials and unused needles and lancets that are being discarded.

Syringes or blood collection tube holders attached to needles must also be discarded still attached to the needles. Non-sharp disposable items saturated with blood or body fluids i. Such items may include used PPE and disposable rags or cloths. Local public health agency staff can transport infectious waste themselves or contract with a waste hauler to collect and transport waste. Agencies that generate less than 50 pounds of infectious waste per month do not need a license from the DNR to haul infectious waste from their facility to a waste disposal site.

A local public health agency that generates infectious waste is required to maintain a log of waste that is transported from the agency, regardless of the amount or how it is transported. The log must contain the following information: date of disposal, location to which waste is transported, name of person transporting the waste, and the amount and type of waste transported e.

Care must be taken to contain the waste during transport, keep waste separate from clean items in the transport vehicle, and to clean and disinfect areas of the vehicle containing infectious waste before hauling clean items and materials.

Outbreaks of hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections in US ambulatory care facilities have prompted the need to re-emphasize safe injection practices. All health care personnel who give injections should strictly adhere to the CDC recommendations - Safe Injection Practices , which include:.

Also see the CDC guideline for isolation precautions. Topics A-Z. Responsive Menu. Infection Control and Prevention: Standard Precautions Infection control principles and practices for local health agencies Standard Precautions Standard precautions are a set of infection control practices used to prevent transmission of diseases that can be acquired by contact with blood, body fluids, non-intact skin including rashes , and mucous membranes.

CDC guidelines - Hand Hygiene in Health Care Settings Observational auditing of appropriate hand hygiene by staff is essential for providing real-time feedback and education.

The safety devices on needles and other sharps should be activated immediately after use. Used needles should be discarded immediately after use and not recapped, bent, cut, removed from the syringe or tube holder, or otherwise manipulated.

Any used needles, lancets, or other contaminated sharps should be placed in a leak-proof, puncture-resistant sharps container that is either red in color or labeled with a biohazard label. Do not overfill sharps containers. Used sharps containers may be taken to a collection facility such as an area pharmacy, hospital, or clinic that provides this service.

Hands were to be thoroughly washed before as well as after patient care and wearing gloves. Body Substance Isolation utilized hospital gowns, medical gloves, shoe covers, safety goggles, and surgical masks or N95 respirators.

However, there was not a consistent interpretation or use in either BSI or universal precautions. Times have changed since Universal Precautions were first set in place. The 21st century has seen devastating illness from Ebola virus, avian flu, West Nile virus, SARS, Zika virus and biological warfare as well as the pandemic flu from previous generations. Gloves alone do not completely protect a health professional or patient. Even diseases usually transmitted by contact can be aerosolized by saliva and respiratory secretions.

Irrigating a wound can risk a splash back of fluid. Respirator masks can be contaminated. Today, public health officials must prepare against contact and airborne transmission as well as bloodborne risks. This broadened the focus on prevention, applying the principles to all patients regardless of diagnosis or presumed infection status. These guidelines consider the risk of transmission of illness from both recognized and unrecognized sources. In the very simplest terms, Standard Precautions involve washing hands before and after patient contact, whether or not gloves are worn.

They involve wearing clean gloves when touching blood, body fluids, and contaminated items, as well as a clean, non-sterile gown and a mask, eye protection or face shield in the likely event of splashes or sprays. Soiled equipment and linen are carefully handled to prevent injuries from used equipment.

These measures are the minimum infection prevention practice applying to all patient care, regardless of the healthcare setting or whether a patient is known or suspected to carry disease. Transmission-Based Precautions are the second tier of basic infection control and are to be used in addition to Standard Precautions for patients who may be infected or colonized with certain infections, including the virus that causes COVID, for which additional precautions are needed to prevent infection transmission.

Each have specific guidelines and applications which must be addressed in policy and followed by staff to avoid legal ramifications.