Implementation of enhanced
contact precaution (droplet and
contact precautions) during May 18-May 21 after the patient developed an antibiotic-resistant urinary tract infection presented an opportunity to assess the impact of enhanced precautions on reported exposures; PEP was recommended for five additional health care workers who cared for the patient during this period (1.3 confirmed exposures per day).
The CDC currently recommends
contact precautions as a mainstay to prevent transmission of MRSA in health care settings.
The benefits of routine enforcement of
contact precautions must be balanced against additional costs, impediments to patient care, and exposure to ESBL-producing E.
The key to stopping the transmission of MRSA in the healthcare setting is proper hand hygiene and
contact precautions. Isolation precautions, which include
contact precautions, are included in Table 4.
Droplet precautions should be added to the standard precautions when providing care to patients with symptoms of acute respiratory infection;
contact precautions and eye protection should be added when caring for probable or confirmed cases of MERS-CoV infection, while airborne precautions should be applied when performing aerosol generating procedures.
Development of a CDI prophylaxis protocol and compliance with these preventative measures such as hand hygiene with soap and water, private rooms, patient dedicated equipment, environmental cleaning with hypochlorite bleach solutions in all patient rooms,
contact precautions, and judicious use of antibiotics will aid in the war on CDI.
* Following specifically-posted patient
contact precautions As therapists we can also practice acceptable (preferably optimal) technique during such procedures as patient-ventilator checks, suctioning, ventilator circuit changes, ventilator change-outs, sputum inductions, assisting our patients with deep breathing and coughing, extubations, arterial and other blood sampling and measuring procedures, pulmonary function testing, etc.
Patient care recommendations for those known or suspected to be infected with VISA or VRSA and being maintained in an acute care setting include isolation in a private room,
contact precautions to include routine use of gowns and gloves for room entry, and education of all personnel who might have contact with the person so infected.
Strict hand hygiene, gloves, gowns, and
contact precautions in a private room are recommended for the duration of diarrhea in patients with CDI.
demonstrated reduction in colonization and infection after the adoption of infection control measures, based on the identification of nasal or rectal MRSA carriage by swabs,
contact precautions, patient cohort, nasal decolonization with mupirocin, and instructions for patients and visitors.
Patients suspected of having or being colonized with MRSA must be placed in
contact precautions. They must be in private rooms or placed with a cohort of similarly infected patients.