Standard and Transmission-Based Precautions and Signage
Successful infection prevention and control involves routinely using basic infection prevention and control strategies, such as hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, aseptic technique, respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette, environmental cleaning and safe handling and disposal of sharps, waste and linen, to minimise infection risk (standard precautions) and employing specific strategies designed to interrupt the transmission of infection (transmission-based precautions).
Standard and transmission-based precautions
Standard precautions are the primary strategy for minimising the transmission of healthcare-associated infections. Standard precautions must be used when providing care to all patients, regardless of whether they have an infection or not. Standard precautions involve:
- Effective hand hygiene
- Use of personal protective equipment to protect against blood and body fluid exposure
- Practising respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette
- Aseptic technique
- Routine environmental cleaning
- Appropriate reprocessing of reusable medical devices
- Safe handling and use of sharps
- Linen and waste management
In certain situations, the use of standard precautions alone may not be enough to limit the spread of infection. When this occurs, transmission-based precautions are required. There are three types of transmission-based precautions: contact, droplet and airborne precautions. One or more types of transmission-based precautions may be required, depending on how an infection is spread between people.
There are different personal protective equipment and patient placement requirements for standard precautions and transmission-based precautions. The table below provides a general overview of these requirements by precaution type. A local risk assessment should always be undertaken to determine the most appropriate personal protective equipment and patient placement for the delivery of care.
Notes:
Essential component of transmission-based precautions:
♣Surgical mask required if infectious agent located in sputum
☆Standard Precaution (as required)—gloves & gowns to be worn when there is potential of contact with blood or body substances. Mouth and eye protection to be worn when there is potential of exposure to splashes or sprays to mucosa
*Visitors should be given instruction about correct procedures when transmission-based precautions are applied and given appropriate resources to support them in meeting these requirements
^ Droplets can contaminate horizontal surfaces close to the source patient, and the hands of healthcare workers can become contaminated through contact with those surfaces. For this reason consideration should be given to the need for additional personal protective equipment (PPE)
# For vaccine preventable disease, where possible, only staff and visitors who have confirmed immunity (evidenced by serological immunity or vaccination history) to the specific infectious agent should enter the room, see Section 4.2.1 for further information. While appropriate PPE should be worn by all staff and visitors, those with unknown immunity or non-immune healthcare workers should be extra vigilant.
Source: Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare (2019)
Infection control signage
It is important to use consistent infection control signage to communicate infection risk and the precautions required to minimise this risk. The Commission has developed a suite of standardised signs to increase the awareness of healthcare workers, patients and visitors of the necessary precautions to be applied for all patients (Standard Precautions), and for those patients who require Transmission-based Precautions, due to their known or suspected diagnosis.
The signage is available in several formats, using both pictures and icons.
Approach 1
This approach combines both standard precautions and transmission based precautions into a single poster. Photographic images are used to support the special precautions.
Approach 2
Approach 2 is the same as Approach 1, but using symbols instead of photographic images.
Approach 3
This approach presents standard precautions and transmission-based precautions in separate posters. This approach allows more room for focusing on the precautions, including supporting imagery for the standard precautions.
Approach 4
Approach 4 is the same as Approach 3, but using symbols instead of photographic images.
Approach 1
This approach combines both standard precautions and transmission based precautions into a single poster. Photographic images are used to support the special precautions.
Approach 2
Approach 2 is the same as Approach 1, but using symbols instead of photographic images.
Approach 3
This approach presents standard precautions and transmission-based precautions in separate posters. This approach allows more room for focusing on the precautions, including supporting imagery for the standard precautions.
Approach 4
Approach 4 is the same as Approach 3, but using symbols instead of photographic images.
Combined precautions – standard, contact and droplet
Combined precautions may be required in situations where disease transmission may occur by multiple transmission routes.
In these situations where transmission occurs by both contact and droplet transmission, it is important to use both contact and droplet precautions as well as standard precautions.
Standardised signs - with state and territory co-branding
Most jurisdictions have also co-badged signage available.
ACT
Download the full set of standardised signs with Canberra Hospitals and Health Services co-branding:
NSW
Download the full set of standardised signs with Clinical Excellence Commission co-branding:
NT
Download the full set of standardised signs with Northern Territory Government co-branding:
QLD
Download the full set of standardised signs with Queensland Government co-branding:
SA
Download the full set of standardised signs with SA Health co-branding:
Tasmania
Download the full set of standardised signs with Tasmanian Government co-branding:
VIC
Download the full set of standardised signs with Victorian Department of Health co-branding:
WA
Download the full set of standardised signs with Government of Western Australia Department of Health co-branding:
ACT
Download the full set of standardised signs with Canberra Hospitals and Health Services co-branding:
NSW
Download the full set of standardised signs with Clinical Excellence Commission co-branding:
NT
Download the full set of standardised signs with Northern Territory Government co-branding:
QLD
Download the full set of standardised signs with Queensland Government co-branding:
SA
Download the full set of standardised signs with SA Health co-branding:
Tasmania
Download the full set of standardised signs with Tasmanian Government co-branding:
VIC
Download the full set of standardised signs with Victorian Department of Health co-branding:
WA
Download the full set of standardised signs with Government of Western Australia Department of Health co-branding:
COVID-19 - PPE and infection prevention and control posters
The Commission has produced two new resources to illustrate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection prevention and control in the COVID-19 environment. They have been developed to allow states and territories and other organisations to co-badge, as needed.