Using Isolation Precaution to Prevent the Spread of Disease

Isolation precaution to prevent disease from spreading

An isolation precaution helps prevent the spread of infections by creating a barrier between people and germs. In a hospital setting, germs and microorganisms reside everywhere, whether those microorganisms are on door handles, computers, or even the floor. Each patient room should be clean and sanitized, with the disposal of any old linen or instruments. New equipment should be used for each patient to safeguard any possible transmission of infections. To ensure the prevention of infections spreading, standard precautions must be taken.

Standard precautions are mandatory to follow because its assumed that everyone is potentially affected and unless precautions are taken, the infection will spread.

In order for both the patient and the medical staff to be safe, it is important to use standard precaution. Standard precaution includes; hand hygiene, gloves, mask, eye protection, face shield, gown, and other miscellaneous guidelines. Hand hygiene plays the ultimate role in practicing standard precautions and preventing infections. “Employers must ensure that employees wash hands and any other skin with soap and water or flush mucous membranes with water as soon as feasible after contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials.” (OSHA). It is essential to wash hands before entering the room of the patient, after touching bodily fluids, blood, feces, urine, and contaminated items, despite having worn gloves. Although gloves are very reliable, they aren’t guaranteed to prevent the health care provider from being infected. So, once the gloves have been removed, it is essential to adequately wash your hands. In order to prevent cross contamination, it may be wise ...

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...nsure that the infected area is covered. Finally use disposable equipment when dealing with contact precaution patients.

Although, airborne, droplet, and contact differ in many ways, they also share common precautions. First, and most importantly, hand hygiene is used in all the precautions. Hand hygiene is extremely crucial. Second, it’s extremely important that the visitors report to the nurse before entering any room with a precaution sign. Some patients have special requirements so consulting with the nurse is the safest route for both the patient as well as the visitors.

It is important to alert everyone about the precautions to take when dealing with patients in isolated rooms. The only way to prevent a disease from being passed down is to have good hand hygiene, wear gloves, gowns and masks when appropriate, and advise visitors to follow the same rules.