The standard precautions are the minimum infection prevention and control practices that must be used for all patients in all situations. The Infection Control Training standard precautions include:
Hand hygiene - considered the most important infection control measure for reducing the spread of infection.
Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) e.g.gloves, masks, eyewear and aprons.
Respiratory & cough hygiene (‘Catch it, Bin it, Kill it’ technique) - Implement measures to limit the transmission of respiratory spread from either coughing, sneezing or running noses.
Safe disposal of waste - Items like used gloves, aprons, swaps, dressing and other sharp or non-sharp contaminated with patient blood or saliva will need to be disposed of safely.
Safe management of body fluid - Blood, vomit or urine pose an infection risk in healthcare settings, such as care homes or hospitals, so the safe and effective management of spillage is essential.
Safe management of care equipment -reusable patient care equipment can easily become contaminated. The World Health Organisation advise, where possible, that items should be used once and disposed of.
Clean and disinfected environmental surfaces - cleaning, disinfection and sterilization of equipment and surfaces are crucial in healthcare facilities to ensure vulnerable patients aren't at risk of cross-contamination.
Safe handling and disposal of linen - a linen deposit should be available to quickly dispose of linen once it's been used.