Pnemonia- precautions or not??

[Epona]

Hi. I read in school that when someone has or is suspected of having pnemonia, that nurses should use DROPLET precautions. On my med surg unit, NO ONE wears any type of protective gear except the usual gloves. Aren't we supposed to be wearing masks???

[pers]

Depends on the pneumonia. Starts at bottom of page 107. http://www.cdc.gov/hicpac/pdf/isolation/Isolation2007.pdf

[casi, ASN, RN]

Depends on the type of pneumonia and if they've been on antibiotics for awhile. The rule of thumb where I work is if pneumonia is suspected, throw the patient on droplet precautions until the patient has been on antibiotics for 24hours.