Transmission-Based Precautions must be used in addition to standard precautions when standard precautions alone are insufficient to interrupt the transmission of a known or suspected pathogen.
Transmission-Based Precautions can be categorised according to the following:
- Contact precautions
- Droplet precautions
- Airborne precautions
- Combined precautions.
Implementation of transmission-based precautions must include:
- An education program on how to risk assess for type of precautions, patient placement and selection of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Transmission-based precautions consists of:
- Appropriate patient placement
- Appropriate PPE selection and use based on risk assessment
- Gloves as per standard precautions, don immediately before patient contact and change between different tasks on same patient and must be changed between patients
- Limit transport and movement of patients where possible and practical
- Where practical use disposable or dedicated patient care equipment, clean and disinfect reusable shared equipment in between use
- Clean and disinfect patient environment.
Some microorganisms can be transmitted simultaneously via more than one transmission route. To mitigate the transmission of these microorganisms, more than one type of transmission-based precaution must be employed in addition to standard precautions.
Contact precautions should be considered for patients colonised or infected with a multi-resistant organism (MRO) where there is significant patient and/or environmental contact.
Respiratory particles may often be distinguished to be droplets or aerosols based on the particle size and specifically in terms of the aerodynamic diameter of the particles.
Respiratory particles (droplets and aerosols) can be generated by various expiratory activities. Certain conditions, environments and procedures may increase risk to the nature and volume of transmission under certain environmental conditions, particularly indoor environments that are poorly ventilated.
