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Preventing health care associated infections 151

HCWs from the spread of infections. Isolation precautions can be divided
into two types: standard precautions and transmission-based precautions.

6.5.2.2 Standard precautions
Standard precautions are the minimum infection prevention practice used
in the care of all patients all of the time. It can be difficult to tell if some-
one might have an infection; the infection could be incubating and has not
manifested yet or the person might be a carrier who is not affected by the
pathogens that inhabit that person’s body. Even if a disease is not manifested
in a person, it might be possible for that person to infect someone else.
Standard precautions are intended to protect people from these unknown
situations.

6.5.3 Transmission-based isolation precautions

Transmission-based isolation precautions are an additional type of infection
control practice used to prevent the spread of infection from persons who
are known or suspected to be infected or colonized with infectious agents.
There are three types of transmission-based isolation precautions: contact
isolation, droplet isolation, and airborne isolation.
Contact isolation precautions are used to prevent the spread of disease
through touching the patient and room surfaces. Droplet isolation is used
for patients who are known or suspected to be infected with a microor-
ganism that can be transmitted by droplets. Airborne isolation is used for
patients who are known or suspected to be infected with a pathogen that
can be transmitted through the air from one person to another.

6.5.3.1 Surgical hand scrub
The objective of a surgical hand scrub is to reduce the release of skin bac-
teria from the hands of the surgical team for the duration of the proce-
dure [24]. The surgical hand scrub will eliminate transient flora and reduce
resident flora. It will also inhibit growth of bacteria on the gloved hand.
The Association of Surgical Technologists (AST) and the Association of
Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN) provide guidance on how to
appropriately perform the surgical hand scrub. This procedure is performed
by the sterile members of the surgical team.

6.5.3.2 Health-care personnel attire
Health-care personnel attire can have an impact on infectious disease trans-
mission. Everyone understands that it is necessary for surgical personnel to
wear PPE to protect them from possible exposure to infectious diseases that