SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
●The goal of infection control is to prevent and reduce rates of nosocomial infection. Types of precautions for preventing transmission of infection include standard precautions and isolation precautions. (See 'Introduction' above.)
●Standard precautions should be followed for the care of all patients; refer to the table (table 1) and the table prepared by the United States Centers for Disease Control. They include hand hygiene before and after every patient contact, use of gloves, gowns, and eye protection (for situations in which exposure to body fluids is possible), use of respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette, and safe disposal of sharp instruments in impervious containers. (See 'Standard precautions' above.)
●Hand hygiene refers to handwashing with soap and water or the use of alcohol-based hand disinfection (AHD) (table 2). Hand hygiene is the single most important measure to reduce transmission of microorganisms from one person to another or from one site to another on the same patient. Wearing gloves does not replace the need for hand hygiene. (See 'Hand hygiene' above and 'Gloves' above.)
●Either soap and water or AHD may be used in most circumstances; we favor AHD because it is more efficient than handwashing with soap and water. Handwashing with soap and water should be used in association with care of patients with known or suspected Clostridium difficile infection or norovirus. (See 'Hand hygiene' above.)
●Three isolation categories reflect the major modes of pathogen transmission in nosocomial settings: contact, droplet, and airborne spread. The types of precaution(s) warranted for care of patients with known or suspected pathogens are summarized in the table (table 1). (See 'Isolation precautions' above.)
•Contact precautions – Healthcare workers should perform hand hygiene and wear gloves upon room entry, even if no direct patient contact is anticipated. Gowns should be worn if there is likely to be direct contact with the patient or any infective material. (See 'Contact precautions' above.)
•Droplet precautions – Healthcare workers should wear a mask when within six feet of patients on droplet precautions. No special air handling systems or higher level respirator masks are required, and the door may remain open. (See 'Droplet precautions' above.)
•Airborne precautions – Patients requiring airborne isolation precautions should be placed in an airborne infection isolation room, which should be a private room with negative air pressure and a minimum of 6 to 12 air changes per hour. The door must remain closed, and all individuals who enter must wear a respirator with a filtering capacity of 95 percent that allows a tight seal over the nose and mouth.