b'Respirator Use Transmission-Based PrecautionsEmployees are required to perform a fit check prior toIn addition to standard precautions, the use of transmission-respirator use. based precautions is practiced for patients with suspected or documented clinical infections or colonization with Employees who are required to wear a respirator must betransmissible or epidemiologically important pathogens clean-shaven around the respirator seal and may leaveand organisms. Transmission-based precautions are based the unit to shave if necessary to use a respirator in anon the level of transmission of specific pathogens and emergency. organisms and provide an additional layer of precautions Maintenance of Respiratory Protection Equipment that are needed to prevent cross-contamination and transmission between the patient, the healthcare worker N-95 respirators are, in general, single use items. Anand the healthcare environment.employee may use the respirator until it becomes soiled,Contact Precautionswet or until they leave the room. In the case of a shortage of respirators a respirator which appears clean may beContact Precautions are used for diseases transmitted placed in a paper bag to be re-used by the same employeeby contact with the patient or the patients environment. until it appears soiled. Contact precautions are to be used for patients that are PAPRs will be cleaned by each user according to the policyclinically infected with an organism or pathogen (example: for the use of the PAPR. showing associated symptoms with a specific organism) or colonized (example: a patient has tested positive for an organism or pathogen, but it is not showing any signs or symptoms of infection) that can be transmitted through Isolation Precautions direct contact with the patient or patients environment. The following diagnoses are examples that warrant the Please use standardized or digital signage (such as theuse of contact precautions: Hill Rom system) outside of patients rooms for patientMethicillin Resistant Staph Aureus (MRSA)isolation precautions.Multi-Drug Resistant Organisms (MDRO)Standard Precautions Patient PlacementThe basic concept of Standard Precautions is to treat allA single room is preferred for patients under contact patients blood or body fluids as if they are infectiousprecautions; however, patients with the same disease material. Standard Precautions are a group of infectionor organism may share a room. In cases where there is prevention practices that include the act of conductinga shortage of patient rooms, prioritize patient cohorts hand hygiene and the use of gloves, gowns, masks, eyeby conditions that may foster transmission (example: protection, or face shields depending on anticipateduncontained drainage or stool incontinence), and give exposure. Furthermore, Standard Precautions includes thethose patients priority for single patient room placement.practice of the following:Safe Injection Practices Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)Special lumbar puncture procedures Don a gown and gloves on room entry. Moreover, change Respiratory Hygiene/Cough Etiquette the gown and gloves between patients, even if both patients share a room or one or both are on Contact Respiratory Hygiene and Cough Etiquette is the practicePrecautions. Lastly, always perform hand hygiene between of encouraging patients and staff with symptoms ofglove changes. respiratory infection to cover their mouth or nose when coughing or sneezing by using tissue and subsequently discarding the tissue appropriately and performing hand hygiene after. 2025 Survey Readiness Guide 45'