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Universal Precautions for Health Care Providers

Universal precautions are specific actions that help prevent contact with blood and other certain body fluids. They are steps or work practices that a health care worker takes to minimize the risk of spreading bloodborne diseases such as AIDS, hepatitis B, and some other infectious diseases.

Your safety depends on taking precautions with the blood and other body fluids of all people you come in contact with while doing your job. Remember to take these steps: 1. If you have any broken skin, cover it with a bandage or dressing before going on duty. If you have a weeping skin rash or sores with a discharge, you may be required to refrain from certain job duties. Consult with your supervisor for details. 2. Wear personal protective equipment (PPE), and assess the risk of exposure to body substances or contaminated surfaces before any health care activity. Based on the assessment of risk, select the appropriate PPE. These include: clean, non-sterile gloves; clean, non-sterile fluid-resistant gown; and mask and eye protection or a face shield. Change gloves if they’re torn and after contact with each person. Do not reuse disposable gloves. 3. Hand hygiene is one of the most effective methods to prevent transmission of pathogens associated with health care. Wash your hands and other skin surfaces immediately: after direct contact with blood or other body fluids; before putting on and after removing gloves, gowns or other protective clothing; or after handling potentially contaminated items. 4. Advise people with respiratory symptoms to cover their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, and make sure that persons with acute febrile respiratory symptoms are placed at least 3 feet away from others in common waiting areas, if possible. And consider making hand hygiene resources, tissues and masks available in common areas and areas used for the evaluation of patients with respiratory illnesses.

As you move up into a more involved medical career, here’s a list of recommendations for standard precautions: 1. Be careful with sharps. Use care when: handling needles, scalpels, and other sharp instruments or devices; cleaning used instruments; and disposing of used needles and other sharp instruments (never overfill sharps containers). 2. Use disposable equipment whenever possible. Decontaminate and clean all reusable equipment according to required procedures. 3. Treat waste contaminated with blood, body fluids, secretions and excretions as clinical waste, in accordance with local regulations. Human tissues and laboratory waste that are directly associated with specimen processing should also be treated as clinical waste. Always follow required procedures. 4. Clean up blood and other body fluids promptly, and take care of contaminated laundry. Use leakproof bags or containers when laundry is wet or if there’s a chance for leakage. And use adequate procedures for the routine cleaning and disinfection of environmental and other frequently touched surfaces.

Universal precautions is an approach to infection control to treat all human blood and certain human body fluids as if they were known to be infectious for HIV, HBV and other bloodborne pathogens. If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask questions. Knowledge of universal precautions can help prevent illness and save lives–including your own.

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