Transmission Precautions

[swansonplace]

Just wondering what the transmission precautions are for: RSV and tonsillitis. For RSV I thought it would be droplet, but I see that it says contact. What is it as RSV is a respiratory disease.

What is the difference between standard precautions and contact precautions? I get them confused. Does duration of pathogen distinguish the difference between when something is standard or contact precautions?

Thanks in advance. It is confusing.

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Notes:

TRANSMISSION-BASED PRECAUTIONS:

AIRBORNE

My - Measles

Chicken - Chicken Pox/Varicella

Hez - Herpez Zoster/Shingles

TB

or remember...

MTV=Airborne

Measles

TB

Varicella-Chicken Pox/Herpes Zoster-Shingles

Private Room - negative pressure with 6-12 air exchanges/hr

Mask, N95 for TB

DROPLET

think of SPIDERMAN!

S - sepsis

S - scarlet fever

S - streptococcal pharyngitis

P - parvovirus B19

P - pneumonia

P - pertussis

I - influenza

D - diphtheria (pharyngeal)

E - epiglottitis

R - rubella

M - mumps

M - meningitis

M - mycoplasma or meningeal pneumonia

An - Adenovirus

Private Room or cohort

Mask

CONTACT PRECAUTION

MRS.WEE

M - multidrug resistant organism

R - respiratory infection

S - skin infections *

W - wound infxn

E - enteric infxn - clostridium difficile

E - eye infxn - conjunctivitis

SKIN INFECTIONS

VCHIPS

V - varicella zoster

C - cutaneous diphtheria

H - herpez simplex

I - impetigo

P - pediculosis

S - scabies

[T.W.RN]

Standard or universal precaution is what you would use with all patients. This includes frequent handwashing, donning gloves when handling bodily fluids, etc.

Contact precaution takes standard precaution a step further by REQUIRING you to wear gloves when in direct contact with these patients. Gown and sometimes mask should be worn when handling these patients' bodily fluids (e.g. taking care of C. diff patient with explosive diarrhea).

The easiest way to remember list of contact precaution is to use the MRS.WEE - VCHIPS mneumonics, in my opinion.

It has saved me countless time when taking NCLEX.

So, for instance, if NCLEX ask you if a nurse saw a nursing assistant wearing gown and gloves when taking care of a patient, it is MOST likely that the nurse is taking care of which patient?

1. Measles

2. Pneumonia

3. Tuberculosis

4. Scabies

The answer is #4.

#1 & #3 are both airborne and requires the nurse to wear filtered mask (N95/HEPA)

#2 is droplet which requires the nurse to wear mask

Also, remember that the door does not have to be closed with contact or droplet precaution, but the door must be closed with airborne precaution.