Transmission Based Precautions | NCLEX® Clinical Decision Making

This is the video to watch to learn everything that you need to know about isolation precautions for your nursing school exams and of course the nclex. We're going to walk through the droplet precautions, airborne precautions and contact precautions and everything you need to know about them, what PPE you need for each of them, what room your patients should go in and which diseases fall into which category. Let's dive in now. Before we dive in, I know how easy it is to just watch a YouTube video, feel like you totally get it, and then completely blank on everything just two days later. I have totally been there. That's exactly why I made a free isolation precautions cheat sheet for you. It has all of the must know info to help you pass your exams and you can print it off and keep it right with you when while you study. So I'm going to put the link to that in the description box below for you to snag it.

And here's a key critical thinking point for you. Infection control is all about breaking that chain of infection. If we can interrupt how those germs are spread from one person to another person, we can keep everyone safer and healthier. So everything we do here is about safety, stopping those germs in their tracks. Transmission based precautions are implemented when a patient is known or suspected to be infected with pathogens that could be transmitted through specific routes. So there are really three main categories here and the NCLEX loves to test you on these. We've got airborne droplet and contact precautions. Let's first talk about airborne precautions. So airborne precautions are used for diseases that are spread by small airborne particles that are less than 5 microns in size.

These are tiny, tiny particles and they.

Can remain suspended in the air for an extended period of time and they can travel long distances. So this is measles, chickenpox or varicella zoster. Disseminated varicella zoster, pulmonary or lar pharyngeal tuberculosis, SARS coved 19 or CoV2 and then key measures for airborne precautions. And these are really big NCLEX points for you. So we're going to run down these to really help you do better on your exams. What you want to look for is private room with negative pressure. The patient needs a private room with negative airflow pressure, which means that that air flows into the room but not out, out of the room. So this air is then exhausted directly outside or passed through a HEPA filter.

So that air doesn't go to other.

Patients or healthcare workers. Then we have respiratory protection so healthcare workers must wear a fit tested N95 or higher efficiency particulate respirator when entering an airborne precautions room. Now this is a huge NCLEX point for you. And then limited transport. So we're limiting patient movement. It should be minimal, minimized. So if the patient needs to be transported, the patient should wear a surgical mask for that. And then the room door must remain closed at all times. That prevents a lot of that airflow from going in and out.

And I know that's a lot to know, but you can totally do this, my friend. And make sure that you download my free isolation precautions cheat sheet. The link is down below in the.

Description for for you to get it.

Now here's where it gets interesting because a lot of nursing students mix up airborne and droplet. So let's walk through the key difference for you here.

Droplet precautions. These are for diseases that are transmitted by larger respiratory droplets that are greater than 5 microns. So these droplets, they're expelled when a person coughs or sneezes or even talks. And they typically travel shorter distances, up to about six feet before they fall to the ground. These are things like adenovirus, bacterial meningitis, diphtheria, epiglottitis, influenza or the flu. We've got meningitis, mumps, mycoplasma pneumonia and parovirus B19 pertussis. That's also called whooping cough, pneumonia, rubella and scarlet fever. This is also streptococcus pharyngitis and also could be SARS COVID 19. So key measures for droplet precaut that you've got to know for your exams, the patient should be in a private room or a cohort. So they should ideally be in a private room. But if that's not available, they can be cohorted with other patients who have the same active infection that they do. And then a mask. Health care workers should wear a surgical mask when entering the patient's room or working up within between three to six feet of the patient because that's how far those droplets can travel. And then a patient mask, if transport is necessary for the patient, the patient should wear a surgical mask.

Now this can be a tricky one, so pay close attention here, okay? Because there's some key key interventions that nursing students do oftentimes miss.

And these are really important. So contact precautions. These are used for diseases that can be transmitted through direct contact with the patient or indirect contact with contaminated objects like environmental services or objects that are around that have that those germs on them. So here's a memory check for you think contact equals contagious through contamination.

So these are diseases that are spread.

When you touch the patient or the surface that's contaminated with those germs. Here are some diseases requiring those contact precautions. Colonization or infection with a multi drug resistant organism or an MDRO and then enteric infections. This would be things like Clostridium difficile or C. Diff respiratory infections like respiratory cyclical virus or influenza. This is transmission via contaminated surfaces but they also have different routes. And then wound infections or skin infections like cutaneous diphtheria, herpes simplex virus, impedigo and pediculosis or scabies or staphylococci or varicella zoster. And then eye infections like conjunctivitis. That's a big one. Adenovirus are also SARS COVID 19 now here are some key measures for contact precautions and these are huge NCLEX points. The patient should be in a private room or a cohort. So similar to droplet precautions, a private room is preferred or patients with the same infection can room together. Then we have gloves and gowns. So healthcare workers must wear gloves and a gown when entering the patient's room and during all all patient contact. So these should be removed as well before leaving the room. And hand hygiene must be performed immediately after removal and then dedicated equipment for that patient. We ideally want patient care equipment to be single use or dedicated to that particular patient. If that's not possible, then equipment must be thoroughly cleaned really really well and disinfected between patients and then environmental cleaning. So increase frequency and increase thoroughness of that environmental cleaning and the disinfection of patient care areas in the equipment that is essential here with these contact precautions. Now here's a critical thinking point that the NCLEX loves to test you on. When you're dealing with C. Diff or Clostridium difficile, you must use soap and water for hand washing because alcohol based hand sanitizers, those are less effective against C. Diff spores. So remember this memory trick, all right? C. Diff is different. It needs soap and water, not just alcohol. And when you're cleaning up from C. Diff cleaning with chlorine bleach is recommended to kill those tough spores. Remember C. Diff spores are super tough. They need bleach to be beaten.

And do me a quick favor and hit that like button that tells the algorithm that this is a helpful video you which is what gets more nursing students to find it and I am on a mission here to help as many nursing students as I can pass nursing school and my friend comment below and tell me which precaution type do you find that is the trickiest to remember? Is it airborne precautions, droplet or contact? I read every single comment and I would love to know really what trips you up the most. Nursing school so I can make more helpful videos for it and be sure to subscribe to my channel and hit that notification bell so you never miss a video. Now of course the NCLEX and your.

Nursing school exams are going to try.

To throw you so many tricky questions right? So we've got to make sure you're prepared. So click on this video here and.

I'm going to walk you through the.

Must have test taking strategies to help you pass your nursing school exams and of course the nclex. And as always my friend go become the nurse that God created only you to be and I will see you over there in that next video.