In all healthcare settings there is a risk of infection. Processes for preventing and controlling infections include ensuring training on how, and when, to apply the various elements of standard and transmission-based precautions relevant to the primary healthcare setting.
The Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare is a key national resource that outlines critical aspects of infection prevention and control, focusing on core principles and priority areas for action. It provides evidence-based recommendations for healthcare workers and healthcare services that outline critical aspects of infection prevention and control, focusing on core principles and priority areas for action.
A priority area in the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare is standard and transmission-based precautions.
‘Standard precautions’ are work practices that provide a first-line approach to infection prevention and control in the healthcare environment and should be adopted by all healthcare workers for all patients, regardless of suspected or confirmed infection status.
Standard precautions include:
- Hand hygiene
- The use of appropriate personal protective equipment
- The safe use and disposal of sharps
- Routine environmental cleaning
- Reprocessing of reusable medical equipment and instruments
- Respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette
- Aseptic technique
- Waste management
- Appropriate handling of linen.
Transmission-based precautions are applied in addition to standard precautions, to reduce the transmission opportunities that may result from the specific means of transmission of a particular infectious agent (such as the use of contact precautions to mitigate contact transmission of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales [CPE]). There are three categories of transmission-based precautions:
- Contact precautions are used when there is a known or suspected risk of transmission of infectious agents by direct, or indirect, contact
- Droplet precautions are used when there is a known or suspected risk of transmission of infectious agents by respiratory droplets
- Airborne precautions are used when there is a known or suspected risk of transmission of infectious agents by the airborne route.
Transmission-based precautions are selected to respond to these specific to the means of transmission of the infectious agent involved. For some infectious agents, a combination of precautions may be required. For example, seasonal influenza requires both contact and droplet precautions.
This action requires healthcare services to describe how relevant standard and transmission-based precautions are implemented. These may include:
- Effective hand hygiene
- Respiratory hygiene, cough etiquette and physical distancing
- Aseptic technique
- Management of invasive medical devices
- Management of reusable medical devices
- Maintaining a clean, safe and hygienic environment
Healthcare services will also be required to adhere to relevant jurisdictional laws and policies relating to infection prevention and control, including work health and safety laws.