Table 1.

Precautions for preventing transmission of respiratory infections

Precautions	Component	Recommendation
Standard	Hand hygiene	Wash hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand rub: • Before and after contact with a patient • After contact with respiratory secretions • After contact with potentially contaminated items in the patient’s vicinity, including equipment and environmental surfaces
	Respiratory hygiene	Instruct staff and visitors with signs and symptoms of a respiratory infection to: • Cover their mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing • Perform hand hygiene after soiling hands with respiratory secretions • Wear masks when tolerated • Maintain spatial separation from others (>3 ft) when in common waiting areas, if possible
	Gloves	Wear when contact with respiratory secretions could occur
	Gowns	Wear during procedures and activities when contact of clothing or exposed skin with respiratory secretions is anticipated
	Masks and eye protection	Wear during procedures and activities likely to generate splashes or sprays of respiratory secretions
Contacta	Patient placement	Place patient in a single-patient room, if possible, or cohort with other patients infected with the same organism Limit patient movement to medically necessary purposes
	Gloves and gowns	Wear on room entry whenever contact is likely with the patient, patient’s respiratory secretions, or potentially contaminated items in the patient’s vicinity, including equipment and environmental surfaces
	Masks and eye protection	As per Standard Precautions
Dropleta	Patient placement	Place patient in a single-patient room, if possible, or cohort with other patients infected with the same organism Limit patient movement to medically necessary purposes, and patients should wear a mask and follow respiratory hygiene during transport
	Gloves, gowns, and eye protection	As per Standard Precautions
	Masks	Wear a surgical mask on room entry if close contact (eg, <3 ft) with the patient is anticipated
Airbornea	Patient placement	Place infected patients in a single-patient airborne infection isolation roomb Limit patient movement to medically necessary purposes, and patients should wear a mask and follow respiratory hygiene during transport
	Gloves, gowns, and eye protection	As per Standard Precautions
	Masks	Wear a fit-tested N95 respirator before room entry

^aContact, droplet, and airborne precautions include hand hygiene and respiratory hygiene as per Standard Precautions.

^bAirborne infection isolation room consists of negative pressure relative to the surrounding area, 6 to 12 air changes per hour, and air is exhausted directly to the outside or recirculated through high-efficiency particulate air filtration before return.

From Siegel JD, Rhinehart E, Jackson M, et al; Health Care Infection Control Practices Advisory C. 2007 Guideline for isolation precautions: preventing transmission of infectious agents in health care settings. Am J Infect Control 2007;35:S65–164.