Isolation Precautions

Course overview

Healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities, are monitored and guided by national standards to prevent healthcare-associated infections, which are infections that occur during the course of healthcare delivery. They may also occur during home health aide services. A healthcare-associated infection that occurs in a hospital is referred to as a nosocomial infection, and hospitals have protocols to prevent the start and spread of a nosocomial infection. Standard Precautions are the foundation for preventing the spread of pathogens in healthcare settings. Infection control techniques that are also used include Airborne Precautions, Contact Precautions, Droplet Precautions, Respiratory Hygiene and Cough Etiquette. There are also circumstances where greater protections may be needed, such as Isolation Precautions to prevent the transmission of a particularly virulent disease. To prevent infection and the spread of infection all healthcare workers should be trained and required to practice safe infection control as an important part of their everyday practice.