What are standard precautions?

Standard precautions refer to the strategies and practices established to prevent exposure to blood and certain body fluids during healthcare procedures. These precautions are essential in protecting both healthcare workers and patients from the transmission of infectious diseases. By assuming that all blood and body fluids are potentially infectious, standard precautions promote practices such as proper hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and safe handling and disposal of sharps and other contaminated materials.

This approach is foundational in infection control, particularly in healthcare settings, and applies to the care of all patients, regardless of their diagnosis or presumed infection status. The adoption of standard precautions helps minimize the risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and plays a critical role in maintaining a safe environment for both patients and healthcare providers.

Other options focus on different aspects of health and safety, such as organizational management, laboratory waste disposal methods, and personal conduct in the workplace, which do not directly address the prevention of exposure to infectious agents during procedures.