What are universal precautions?

Universal precautions are a series of recommendations aimed at health care providers to prevent the spread of infection from patients to the providers or to other patients. These recommendations should be followed to protect yourself from infection if you are providing care to another person with an infectious disease. Hospitals, all health care facilities, and health care workers use universal precautions to protect patients, themselves, and other health care workers from the spread of infectious diseases.

Infectious diseases are caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi. The way infection is spread can differ from one infectious agent to another. These organisms can be spread from person to person through blood and other body secretions, respiratory droplets, direct skin-to-skin contact, or through sexual contact.

People get droplet infections such as the common cold or measles by breathing in viruses hanging in particles of liquid breathed out, sneezed, or coughed by an infected person.

Universal precautions protect the patients, the health care providers and their contacts from infection.

Precautions related to home care of an infectious person include:

Gloves:

• Wear latex medical gloves:
  • when touching the infected person's mucus membranes or affected skin or body fluids, such as blood, stool, urine, drainage from a wound, saliva, or vomit

  • when handling items or body surfaces soiled with blood or body fluids

  • when performing procedures involving needle sticks or open sores

  • when cleaning up around the care-giving area.
• If your gloves tear or are damaged, remove the glove, wash your hands, and put on new gloves immediately.

• Change gloves each time a procedure is performed, discarding used ones.

• Do not wash gloves. Discard them in appropriate containers.

Gloves are not a substitute for hand washing. Wash your hands after wearing gloves in case the gloves have been damaged.

Hand washing:

• Wash your hands immediately after you take off your gloves.

• If your hands or any body surface become soiled with blood or body fluids, wash the body surface and your hands immediately and thoroughly.

• Wash your hands immediately before and after each contact with the infected person.

Protective clothing (such as masks, goggles):

• Wear masks and eyewear during any procedure that may expose you to blood or body fluids to prevent exposing your mouth, nose, and eyes to the infection.

• Wear masks during invasive procedures. An invasive procedure is one in which the doctor will penetrate the body tissues, organs, or cavities with a needle or other instrument.

• Wear gowns or aprons when blood or body fluids may splash.

Safety precautions:

• Do not recap or purposely bend needles. Follow the procedure defined by your doctor or health care facility.

• Discard needles in the recommended way and report all needle sticks immediately.

• If needles are disposable, put them in a puncture-proof container.

• If needles are reusable, put needles in a puncture-proof container when moving them from one place to another.

• Avoid overfilling containers.

Disposing of waste products:

• Double-bag, in red plastic bags, disposable items soiled with blood. Follow your local health department's instructions.

• Linens that are soiled with blood must be washed separately with detergent and germicide. Follow local health department instructions for safe washing and water disposal rules.

• Check with your doctor and local health department before pouring bulk blood, suctioned fluids, excretions, and secretions carefully down a drain connected to a sanitary sewer.

Guidelines for sterilization/disinfection of equipment:

• Sterilize nondisposable instruments that enter tissue, or through which blood flows, before and after use.

• Sterilize nondisposable devices or items that touch intact mucus membranes.

• Use chemical germicides registered with the Environmental Protection Agency for sterilization or disinfection. Ask the local health department what chemicals are safe for home use. Use these chemicals only in the recommended concentrations and only in the recommended concentrations and only with proper ventilation.