Infection Control Precautions
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Direct answer
Infection control precautions operate at two levels: standard precautions, applied to every patient because blood and body fluids may carry infection, and transmission-based precautions, added when a pathogen spreads by a specific route. The three transmission-based categories are airborne, droplet and contact precautions, and they supplement — never replace — standard precautions such as hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, safe sharps handling and biomedical waste segregation.
What you must remember
- Standard precautions: hand hygiene, PPE chosen by task, respiratory hygiene, safe injection practice without needle recapping, appropriate patient placement and careful handling of linen, equipment and spills.
- Airborne precautions (tuberculosis, measles, chickenpox, disseminated herpes zoster): fit-tested N95 respirator, negative-pressure isolation room with door closed, surgical mask on the patient during transport.
- Droplet precautions (influenza, pertussis, meningococcal disease, mumps, rubella, diphtheria): surgical mask within about 1 metre (3 feet) of the patient, single room or cohorting, patient masking on transport.
- Contact precautions (MRSA, scabies, respiratory syncytial virus, conjunctivitis, draining wounds, Clostridioides difficile): gloves and gown on entry, dedicated equipment, single room where possible.
- PPE order: don gown, mask, eye protection, then gloves; doff in reverse — gloves, gown, eye protection, mask last — with hand hygiene immediately after.
- India's Biomedical Waste Management Rules colour-code waste: yellow for infected waste, red for contaminated recyclables, white puncture-proof containers for sharps, blue for glassware.
- Needle-stick injuries: wash without squeezing, report immediately and start post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV and hepatitis B per protocol without delay.
Common confusion
Masks are the classic trap: an N95 respirator filters airborne droplet nuclei and must seal to the face, while a surgical mask protects mucous membranes from large droplets. Diseases get misplaced — chickenpox and tuberculosis are airborne, not droplet, while meningococcal disease needs only droplet precautions until 24 hours of effective therapy. Clostridioides difficile deserves special memory: alcohol rub fails against spores, so soap-and-water handwashing plus contact precautions is the answer.
Exam-focused takeaway
Category-matching dominates: a list of diseases must map to airborne, droplet or contact, so memorise the standard examples. Learn the donning and doffing orders, the N95-versus-surgical-mask logic and the 1-metre droplet rule. Waste questions test the colour codes, and occupational-health stems test needle-stick first aid. Remember that precautions begin on suspicion, before confirmation, and continue for the documented duration — for example, chickenpox until all lesions have crusted.
Frequently asked questions
What are standard precautions?
The minimum applied to all patients — hand hygiene, task-appropriate PPE, respiratory hygiene, safe sharps practice and correct handling of linen, equipment and waste.
Which diseases need airborne precautions?
Tuberculosis, measles, varicella and disseminated herpes zoster — managed with an N95 respirator and negative-pressure isolation.
What is the difference between droplet and contact precautions?
Droplet precautions protect mucous membranes from large droplets within about a metre using a surgical mask; contact precautions protect hands and clothing using gloves and gown.
In what order is PPE removed?
Gloves first, then gown, then eye protection and finally the mask, with safe disposal and immediate hand hygiene.
How is biomedical waste segregated in India?
Into colour-coded streams under the Biomedical Waste Management Rules — yellow for infected waste, red for contaminated recyclables, white boxes for sharps and blue for glass.