Standard Precautions

Standard Precautions for Environmental Cleanliness

-Used sharps should be placed into puncture-proof, biohazardous waste containers. Sharps include needles, surgical blades, syringes, and razors. Additionally, needles should never be bent or broken after use, and they should never be recapped. -Spills must be cleaned up immediately. Appropriate personal protective equipment should be worn when cleaning. It is also important to read the manufacturer's instructions and the materials safety data sheet before using a chemical cleaning solution. -All infectious waste must be discarded in a biohazardous waste bag. Infectious waste includes gloves, gowns, masks, disposable eyewear, contaminated dressings, drainage bags, disposable basins and bedpans, and other disposable items that have contacted blood or other bodily fluids. -Linens that are contaminated with blood or other bodily fluids must be placed in biohazardous laundry bags. Contaminated linens must be soaked in disinfectant solution before laundering.

Masks and Eyewear

According to standard precautions, health care workers must wear masks and eyewear for procedures that may produce splashes or sprays of blood or bodily fluid. Masks and eyewear will protect a health care worker's eyes, mouth, and nose from exposure to pathogens. For procedures that require other forms of personal protective equipment, masks and eyewear should be put on after gowns and before gloves. Masks should be worn once and then discarded into biohazardous waste containers. If a mask gets wet or is worn for more than 30 minutes, it must be discarded and replaced with a new mask. Eyewear is often reusable. However, it must be cleaned and disinfected before reuse.

Standard Precautions for Patient Contact

According to the CDC, every bodily fluid must be considered infectious. Therefore, health care workers must use appropriate personal protective equipment, such as gloves, masks, eyewear, and gowns, when they are likely to contact infectious materials. Infectious materials include blood and other bodily fluids, mucous membranes, non-intact skin, and tissue specimens. -Hands must be washed frequently to avoid spreading infection. Hands should always be washed before and after wearing gloves, before and after performing a procedure, after contacting blood or other bodily fluids, and between patient contacts. -Health care workers must bandage all cuts and scratches properly. Patient contact should be limited if a worker has a wound or skin condition that is likely to seep or bleed. In addition, health care workers that are sick must avoid direct contact with patients. -Whenever possible, face shields should be used instead of mouth-to-mouth contact during CPR. These devices should be stored in convenient places throughout a medical facility.

Gowns

Gowns are personal protective equipment that must be worn during certain medical procedures. Health care workers should wear gowns when using chemical solutions for disinfection or sterilization. Gowns should also be worn during procedures where splashing or spraying of blood and bodily fluid is likely. Health care workers must change gowns between patient visits. The same gown should never be worn for more than one patient. In addition, disposable gowns should be placed into biohazardous waste containers after use. Non-disposable gowns may be placed into biohazardous linens bags and then sent to be laundered and disinfected.

Non-Sterile Gloves

Non-sterile gloves are essential pieces of personal protective equipment. However, wearing gloves should never replace washing hands. Hands must be washed first and then gloved. Health care workers should wear non-sterile gloves when contacting blood or other bodily fluids and when handling or cleaning contaminated items. If other protective equipment is required for a procedure, gloves should be put on last. Gloves should always be changed between patient visits. The same pair of gloves should never be worn in more than one procedure. In addition, gloves must never be washed and reused. Washing gloves could create holes and make them ineffective.

Standard Precautions

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed a list of standard precautions that should be used for all patients, regardless of their type of sickness. The CDC created the standard precautions for two reasons. The first reason is to protect health care workers from contact with infectious materials. The second reason is to protect patients from contracting infectious diseases. Standard precautions include guidelines for patient contact and environmental cleanliness.