Types of precautions for infection control^[1]

Perform hand hygiene before and after every patient contact.*

Gloves, gowns, eye protection as required.

Safe disposal or cleaning of instruments and linen.

Cough etiquette: Patients and visitors should cover their nose or mouth when coughing, promptly dispose used tissues, and practice hand hygiene after contact with respiratory secretions.

Colonization of any bodily site with multidrug-resistant bacteria (MRSA, VRE, drug-resistant gram-negative organisms)

Enteric infections (Norovirus, Clostridioides difficile*, Escherichia coli O157:H7)

Viral infections (HSV, VZV, RSV^Δ, parainfluenza, enterovirus, rhinovirus^◊, certain coronaviruses [eg, SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV])

Scabies

Impetigo

Noncontained abcesses or decubitus ulcers (especially for Staphylococcus aureus and group A Streptococcus)^§

In addition to standard precautions:

Private room preferred; cohorting allowed if necessary.

Gloves required upon entering room. Change gloves after contact with contaminated secretions.

Gown required if clothing may come into contact with the patient or environmental surfaces or if the patient has diarrhea.

Minimize risk of environmental contamination during patient transport (eg, patient can be placed in a gown).

Noncritical items should be dedicated to use for a single patient if possible.

Known or suspected:

Neisseria meningitidis

Haemophilus influenzae type B

Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Bordetella pertussis

Group A Streptococcus^§

Diphtheria

Pneumonic plague

Influenza

Rubella

Mumps

Adenovirus

Parvovirus B19

Rhinovirus^◊

Certain coronaviruses^¥

In addition to standard precautions:

Private room preferred; cohorting allowed if necessary.

Wear a mask when within 3 feet of the patient.

Mask the patient during transport.

Cough etiquette: Patients and visitors should cover their nose or mouth when coughing, promptly dispose used tissues, and practice hand hygiene after contact with respiratory secretions.

Known or suspected:

Tuberculosis

Varicella

Measles

Smallpox

Certain coronaviruses^¥

Ebola^‡

In addition to standard precautions:

Place the patient in an AIIR (a monitored negative pressure room with at least 6 to 12 air exchanges per hour).

Room exhaust must be appropriately discharged outdoors or passed through a HEPA filter before recirculation within the hospital.

A certified respirator must be worn when entering the room of a patient with diagnosed or suspected tuberculosis. Susceptible individuals should not enter the room of patients with confirmed or suspected measles or chickenpox.

Transport of the patient should be minimized; the patient should be masked if transport within the hospital is unavoidable.

Cough etiquette: Patients and visitors should cover their nose or mouth when coughing, promptly dispose used tissues, and practice hand hygiene after contact with respiratory secretions.