Standard precautions
are precautions taken to avoid contracting various diseases and
preventing the spread of disease to
those who have compromised immunity. Some of these diseases include human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and
hepatitis B (HBV). Standard precautions are needed since many
diseases do not display signs or symptoms in their early stages. Standard precautions mean to treat all
body fluids/ substances as if they
were contaminated. These body fluids include but are not
limited to the following blood, semen, vaginal secretions, breast milk, amniotic fluid, feces, urine, peritoneal fluid, synovial fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, secretions from the nasal and oral
cavities, and lacrimal and sweat gland excretions. This
means that standard precautions
should be used with all patients.
1. A shield
for the eyes and face must be used if
there is a possibility of
splashes from blood and body fluids.
2. If possibility of blood or body fluids being splashed on clothing, you must wear a plastic apron.
3. Gloves must be worn if you could
possibly come in contact with blood
or body fluids. They are also needed if you are going to
touch something that may have come in contact with blood or body fluids.
4. Hands must be washed even if you
were wearing gloves. Hands must be washed and gloves must be changed between patients. Wash
hands with at a dime size amount of soap and warm water for about 30 seconds. Singing “Mary had a little lamb” is
approximately 30 seconds.
5. Blood and body fluid spills must be cleansed and disinfected
using a solution of one part bleach to 10 parts water or your hospital’s
accepted method.
6. Used needles must be separated
from clean needles. Throw both the
needle and the syringe away in the sharps’ container. The sharps’ container is made
7. Take
extra care in performing
high-risk activities that include
puncturing the skin and cutting the
skin.
8. CPR equipment to be used in a hospital
must include resuscitation bags and mouthpieces.
Special precautions
must be taken to dispose of biomedical waste. Biomedical waste
includes but is not limited
to the
following: laboratory waste,
pathology waste, liquid waste from suction,
all sharp object, bladder catheters,
chest tubes, IV tubes, and drainage containers. Biomedical waste is removed from a facility by
trained biomedical waste disposers.
