Registered Nurse RN

Registered Nurse, Free Care Plans, Free NCLEX Review, Nurse Salary, and much more. Join the nursing revolution.

  • RN
    • Nursing Clinical Skills
  • Nursing Videos
  • Blog
  • Nursing School
  • Nursing Care Plans
  • Nursing Quizzes
  • Nursing
  • Nursing Jobs
  • NCLEX Review
  • Store

Standard and Isolation Precautions NCLEX Review

This NCLEX review will help you learn about standard precautions and isolation precautions. Standard and isolation precautions are steps we follow to prevent the transmission of infection diseases. On the NCLEX exam and for nursing lecture exams, you need to be familiar with each precaution, what diseases are included in transmission-based precautions (which is the same as isolation precautions), and PPE worn.

In addition, I will give you three mnemonics on how to remember isolation precautions. I created these mnemonics to help you not only remember the diseases included with each precaution BUT if they are for airborne, droplet, or contact AND the special PPE you must wear!

Don’t forget to take the free isolation precautions review quiz.

Lecture on Standard and Transmission-Based Precautions

Standard Precautions

These are precautions we take with EVERY patient at ALL times because we don’t know if they have an infectious disease. By implementing these practices, we help prevent transmission of infectious diseases from one to another (ex: patient to nurse, nurse to patient, or patient to patient).

When we suspect or know a patient has an infection disease we add on TRANSMISSION-BASED PRECAUTIONS, such as CONTACT, DROPLET, and AIRBORNE.

Standard Precautions Include:

  • Hand hygiene
  • Wearing appropriate PPE as needed
  • How to handle patient equipment
  • Injection safety practices
  • Environmental cleaning
  • Respiratory hygiene/coughing etiquette
  • Handling of laundry
  • Patient room placement

Highlights to Remember:

Hand hygiene: performed before and after patient contact, after wearing gloves, touching surfaces in a patient’s room

Perform hand hygiene by using soap and water or hand sanitizer.

Always use soap and water rather than hand sanitizer for the following:

  • Hands are visibly soiled
  • Before eating or touching food
  • After using the bathroom
  • Diarrhea illnesses: C.diff, Norovirus, Rotavirus

PPE (Personal Protective Equipment): use this equipment AS NEEDED to protect skin, clothing, mucous membranes while providing care to patients. Remember we treat all the patient the same, regardless of what they do or don’t have.

Example: You are going to be suctioning a patient’s tracheostomy. The patient is not diagnosed with any infectious disease. However, you know to always follow standard precautions, regardless. So, it is important to select the appropriate PPE. During this procedure there is a risk of splash of mucous (which can contain germs) or blood in the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth) and onto the clothes. So, you will want to wear the following PPE during this procedure: gloves, gown, mask, goggles or face shield.

NOTE: Now with certain transmission-based precautions you will be REQUIRED to wear specific PPE at ALL TIMES during patient contact. Therefore, when answering NCLEX questions always ask yourself “Is this person in isolation precautions? If, so what PPE must I wear at all times?'” AND “What type of PPE do I need based on the care I will be providing?”

For example, with AIRBORNE precautions you will wear an N95 mask during patient contact, BUT if you are going to be inserting an NG tube or doing a procedure that will have the potential for splashes of body fluids, you will need a gown, googles or face shield, gloves. So, select PPE wisely!

Types of PPE:

  • Gloves: needed if coming into contact with fluids (vomit, stool, urine, mucous etc.) and blood.
  • Gown: needed if there will be a potential contact with fluids or blood on clothing.
  • Goggles/Face Mask or Respirator/Shield: needed if there will be a potential contact with fluids or blood on the mucous membranes (example: patient coughing, vomiting while providing suctioning/mouth care etc.).

Transmission-Based Precautions

Droplet Precautions

Diseases included with droplet precautions: 

  • Pharyngeal Diphtheria
  • Epiglottitis, (caused by Haemophilus influenza type b)
  • Flu (contact and droplet)
  • Meningococcal Disease: Sepsis, Pneumonia, meningitis
  • Mumps (infectious parotitis)
  • Pneumonia
  • Mycoplasma Pneumonia
  • Parvovirus B19 (erythema infectiosum or 5th disease)
  • Pneumonic Plague
  • Adenovirus (contact and droplet)
  • Streptococcal pharyngitis
  • Whooping Cough (pertussis)
  • Rhinovirus
  • Scarlet fever
  • Rubella (German Measles)

Who’s Adjustable Droplet Mask Stops Scary Pneumatic Fluid Parasites Plaguing Distinguished German Men?  My Epic Mum’s, Rhonda.

Who’s: Whooping Cough

Adjustable: Adenovirus (remember ADD contact precautions as well)

Droplet: type of precaution

Mask: PPE you must wear at all times

Stops: Streptococcal pharyngitis

Scary: Scarlet fever

Pneumatic: Pneumonia

Fluid: Flu (influenza)

Parasites: Parvovirus B19

Plaguing: Pneumonic Plague

Distinguished: Diphtheria

German: German Measles (Rubella)

Men: Meningococcal Disease: Meningitis, sEpsis, pNemonia

My: Mycoplasma Pneumonia

Epic: Epiglottitis

Mum‘s: Mumps

Rhonda: Rhinovirus
Key Points:

  • Transmitted via droplets expelled by the person during sneezing, coughing, talking etc.…the droplets are large (when compared to airborne diseases which are smaller), travel less distance (3 feet and then fall), and can enter through the mucus membranes (eyes, nose, and mouth).
    • In order to infect someone the GERMS MUST COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE MUCOUS MEMBRANES TO INFECT!!
  • Wear a surgical mask during patient contact at all times and follow standard precautions. Select other types of PPE based on the type of care you will be providing. For example: mouth care on a patient in droplet precautions (risk for fluids entering eyes, skin, and clothing) also wear gloves, gown, face shield along with the surgical mask.
  • Keep a distance of 3 feet or more from other patients and visitors.
  • Patient must wear a surgical mask if being transported.
  • Patient’s door can stay open.
  • No special ventilation is required.

Airborne Precautions

Diseases included with airborne precautions: 

  • Chicken Pox (varicella) (Airborne and Contact)
  • Herpes Zoster (Varicella Zoster(disseminated) Shingles (Airborne and Contact)
  • Measles (Rubeola)
  • M. Tuberculosis

Airborne Chicken Number 95 Dissected Her Tubby Mealworm

Airborne: type of isolation precaution

Chicken: Chicken Pox (Varicella)

Number 95: N95 mask…special PPE you must wear at all times

Dissected Her: Disseminated Herpes Zoster (Shingles)

Tubby: Tuberculosis

Mealworm: Measles

Key Points:

  • Transmitted when the infected person coughs, sneezes etc. which produces respiratory droplets (which contains the germ). Normally, when people expel droplets, like in droplet diseases, the droplets dry out which kills the germ. However, with airborne diseases these germs SURVIVE the drying out process and turn into droplet nuclei.
  • These droplet nuclei are residue particles (SUPER small…can’t see them) that can be inhaled and hang out in the air. These particles INFECT a person when the person INHALES THE INFECTIOUS DISEASE into their lungs (different than droplet where it enters into the mucous membranes).
  • Must wear an N95 mask (blocks very small particles) while in the room at all times PLUS follow standard precautions like hand hygiene and use other types of PPE as needed depending on the type of care you will be providing.
  • Single room that is an AIIR room (airborne infection isolation room which is also called negative pressure room). This special room will keep the pressure lower in the patient’s room than the outside areas.
  • The room will have 6-12 air changes an hour to decrease infectious particles in the room.
  • Keep room door closed at ALL TIMES!
  • Limit transport unless necessary (have procedures performed at the bedside as much as possible). If patient has to leave the room, the patient must wear a surgical mask.

Contact Precautions

Diseases included with contact precautions: 

  • Medication-Resistant Organisms: MRSA, VRE, extended spectrum beta lactamase producers (ESBLs), Klebsiella pnemoniae carbapenemase (KPC)
  • Diarrhea infections or of unknown origin: C.diff, noravirus, rotavirus…..USE SOAP AND WATER FOR HAND WASHING NOT hand-sanitizer.
    • NOTE: Hepatitis A. (if patient is diapered or incontinent pt)..remember it is spread through stool
  • Skin infection: impetigo, lice, scabies, herpes simplex, chickenpox (airborne and contact), skin diphtheria, shingles (airborne and contact)
  • Wound infections with excessive drainage or staphylococci
  • Pulmonary infections: RSV, parainfluenza
  • Eye infection: conjunctivitis

Don Medical Gloves/Gown With Every Contact Precaution Session

Don: Diarrhea Infections

Medical: Mediation Resistant Organisms

Gloves/Gown: PPE you must always wear at all times

With: Wound Infections

Every: Eye infections

Contact: type of isolation precaution

Precaution: Pulmonary infections

Session: Skin infections

Key Points:

  • Transmitted from direct or indirect contact (touching)….from the patient or something the patient has touched…their environment.
  • Must at always wear a gown and gloves PLUS follow standard precautions like hand hygiene and use other types of PPE as needed depending on the type of care you will be providing.
  • Single room the best or group patients together with same infection

More NCLEX Reviews

References:

Protecting Healthcare Personnel | HAI | CDC. (2017). Cdc.gov. Retrieved 7 January 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/hai/prevent/ppe.html

Please Share:

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
Nursing Gear

RSS Latest YouTube Videos

  • Recap a Needle Using the One-Hand Scoop Technique Nursing Skill | Medication Administration
  • Elevation and Depression Anatomy Body Movement Terms (Mandible & Scapula)
  • Car Seat Safety Teaching: Nursing Care & Discharge Pediatric Maternity Nurse NCLEX Review
  • Aqueous Humour Eye Circulation Flow Animation: Open-Angle vs Closed-Angle Glaucoma

Recent Posts

  • One-Hand Scoop Technique
  • Elevation and Depression Anatomy
  • Car Seat Restraint Safety Pediatric Nursing Review
  • Car Seat Safety NCLEX Questions Quiz

Disclosure and Privacy Policy

This website provides entertainment value only, not medical advice or nursing protocols. We strive for 100% accuracy, but nursing procedures and state laws are constantly changing. By accessing any content on this site or its related media channels, you agree never to hold us liable for damages, harm, loss, or misinformation. See our full disclosure and privacy policy. Copyright Notice: Do not copy this site, articles, images, or its contents without permission.

Important Links

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us

Follow Us on Social Media

  • Facebook Nursing
  • Instagram Nursing
  • Twitter Nursing
  • YouTube Nursing

Get Free Email Updates:

Enter your email address below and hit "Submit" to receive free email updates and nursing tips.

Copyright © 2021 RegisteredNurseRN.com. All Rights Reserved.