What does Standard Precautions require in infection control?

• A. Treat every patient as potentially infectious and use hand hygiene, gloves, and other PPE as appropriate.
• B. Isolate only infected patients.
• C. Wash hands only after exposure to blood.
• D. Use PPE only for surgical patients.

Answer: (A)

Standard Precautions are about treating every patient as potentially infectious and applying protective barriers to every interaction. In practice, this means performing hand hygiene before and after patient contact, after removing gloves, and after contact with potentially contaminated surfaces; wearing gloves when you may touch blood, body fluids, nonintact skin, or mucous membranes; using gowns, masks, eye protection, or face shields when splashes or exposure to fluids are possible; and handling needles and other sharps safely to prevent exposure. This approach reduces transmission risk for all patients, not just those known to be infected, by using barriers appropriate to the task and keeping the environment clean. Isolating only infected patients is a separate concept—it's about Transmission-Based Precautions for specific illnesses. Hand hygiene is required before and after contact, not only after exposure to blood. PPE is used based on the task and risk, not only for surgical patients.