Causes of Social Change
Standard Precautions:
Used for all patients, including hand hygiene, use of gloves, gowns, and masks where appropriate.
Contact Precautions:
Gown and gloves must be worn when entering the patient's room, particularly for multidrug-resistant organisms (e.g., MRSA, VRE).
Private Rooms:
Where possible, especially for patients with MDROs.
High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters:
Used to prevent airborne pathogen spread
Droplet Precautions:
Required for respiratory pathogens like influenza or RSV; healthcare workers must wear masks when interacting with the patient.
Airborne Precautions:
Required for infections that spread via the air (e.g., tuberculosis, varicella); use of N95 respirators is mandatory.
Negative Pressure Rooms:
Used for airborne precautions to ensure pathogen containment.