Which term refers to CDC precautions used in the care of all patients regardless of infection status; combines universal and body substance precautions?

Which term refers to CDC precautions used in the care of all patients regardless of infection status; combines universal and body substance precautions?

• A. Standard Precautions
• B. Transmission-Based Precautions
• C. Sanitization
• D. Antisepsis

Answer: (A)

Standard Precautions are the set of CDC precautions used for the care of all patients, regardless of infection status. They combine Universal Precautions—treating blood and certain body fluids as potentially infectious—with Body Substance Isolation, which protects against exposure to all body substances. This approach means consistent hand hygiene, using the appropriate personal protective equipment (gloves, gowns, masks, eye protection) based on the task, safe handling of needles and sharps, proper cleaning and disinfection of equipment, and respiratory hygiene. Transmission-Based Precautions are added only when a patient is known or suspected to have a specific infectious disease, layering on top of Standard Precautions. Sanitization is about cleaning surfaces to reduce microbes, and antisepsis involves reducing pathogens on living tissue; neither term describes the universal, all-patient framework described here.

Standard Precautions are the set of CDC precautions used for the care of all patients, regardless of infection status. They combine Universal Precautions—treating blood and certain body fluids as potentially infectious—with Body Substance Isolation, which protects against exposure to all body substances. This approach means consistent hand hygiene, using the appropriate personal protective equipment (gloves, gowns, masks, eye protection) based on the task, safe handling of needles and sharps, proper cleaning and disinfection of equipment, and respiratory hygiene. Transmission-Based Precautions are added only when a patient is known or suspected to have a specific infectious disease, layering on top of Standard Precautions. Sanitization is about cleaning surfaces to reduce microbes, and antisepsis involves reducing pathogens on living tissue; neither term describes the universal, all-patient framework described here.