NCLEX Review - Precautions

Overview

• Types of Precautions:

  • Standard Precautions
  • Transmission-Based Precautions (Airborne, Droplet, Contact)

• Purpose:

  • Protect healthcare workers and patients
  • Ensure appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) use

Standard Precautions

• Applied to all patient interactions
• Protect against potential unknown infections

Key Components

• Hand Hygiene:

  • Perform before/after patient contact, after glove removal, and when touching surfaces
  • Use soap and water or hand sanitizer, but only soap and water when:
    • Hands are visibly soiled
    • Before eating/after bathroom use
    • Patient has diarrhea illness (e.g., C. diff, norovirus)

• PPE Usage:

  • Use PPE to protect from blood, mucus, and bodily fluids
  • Types:
    • Gloves for contact with fluids
    • Gowns if fluids may contact clothing
    • Goggles/Face Masks for fluid splashes

Transmission-Based Precautions

• Additional measures when infectious disease is known/suspected

Airborne Precautions

• Transmission:
  • Via airborne droplet nuclei (e.g., from sneezes/coughs)
• Diseases:
  • Chickenpox, Shingles (Disseminated Herpes Zoster), Measles, Tuberculosis
• PPE and Room Requirements:
  • N95 mask at all times
  • Negative-pressure room (Airborne Infection Isolation Room)
  • Six to twelve air changes per hour

Mnemonic:

• "Airborne Chicken Number 95 dissected her tubby mealworms"
  • Chicken: Chickenpox
  • Number 95: N95 mask
  • Disseminated Herpes Zoster
  • Tubby: Tuberculosis
  • Mealworm: Measles

Droplet Precautions

• Transmission:
  • Larger respiratory droplets (e.g., coughs, sneezes)
• Diseases:
  • Diphtheria, Epiglottitis, Flu, Meningococcal disease, Mumps, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, etc.
• PPE and Room Requirements:
  • Surgical mask at all times
  • Eye protection when close contact expected
  • No special ventilation needed

Mnemonic:

• "Who's adjustable droplet mask salt scary pneumatic fluid parasite playing plaguing distinguished German men my epic moms Rhonda"
  • Who: Whooping cough
  • Adjustable: Adenovirus
  • Sorceress: Streptococcal pharyngitis
  • Scary: Scarlet fever
  • Fluid: Flu
  • Playing: Pneumonic plague
  • Distinguished: Diphtheria
  • German: German measles (Rubella)
  • Men: Meningococcal diseases
  • Epic: Epiglottitis
  • Moms: Mumps
  • Rhonda: Rhinovirus

Contact Precautions

• Transmission:
  • Direct/indirect contact with patient/environment
• Diseases:
  • MRSA, VRE, C. diff, Norovirus, Rotavirus, Scabies, Herpes, RSV, etc.
• PPE and Room Requirements:
  • Gloves and gown at all times
  • Single room preferred or cohort with same infection
  • Hand hygiene with soap and water for C. diff and similar infections

Mnemonic:

• "Dawn medical gloves I scan with every contact precautions session"
  • Dawn: Diarrhea infections
  • Medical: Medication-resistant organisms
  • Gloves: Always wear gloves
  • With: Wound infections
  • Every: Eye infections
  • Contact: Represents contact transmission
  • S: Skin infections

Conclusion

• Review the provided quiz to test knowledge
• Subscribe for more educational videos