Contact precautions

Contact precautions are safety measures taken in healthcare facilities to help prevent the transmission of infectious diseases that can be spread by contact. Common contact precautions include wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves and gowns; handwashing; dedicating medical equipment to only the infected patient; and placing a sign on the patient's door that informs others of contact precautions. By employing these safety measures, healthcare personnels and visitors can prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

Overview

Healthcare facilities such as hospitals and physician’s offices often treat patients who have infectious diseases. Some of these diseases, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), scabies, and varicella (chickenpox), can be spread by direct or indirect contact as varicella can be spread through air. Direct contact involves body-to-body interaction between the infected patient and a susceptible individual. For example, the susceptible individual can contract the infectious disease simply by touching the infected patient. Indirect contact involves contact between a susceptible individual and an object that became contaminated by the infected patient. A contaminated towel is an example of such an object.

To prevent the transmission of infectious diseases by contact, healthcare personnel and visitors must employ certain contact precautions. One of the most common contact precautions is the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), which is equipment that is worn to help prevent the spread of disease. The most frequently used PPE are gloves. Everyone including visitors, doctors, nursing staff, or others visiting a patient with an infectious disease should wear disposable gloves every time they touch the infected patient or the patient's surroundings. Another type of PPE is a gown. Everyone especially the providers and staff should wear a disposable, fluid-resistant gown whenever they come in contact with the infected patient or the patient's surroundings. Gloves and gowns should be removed and discarded immediately after use; they should not be reused. Other PPE is available, including surgical masks and respirators, but such equipment usually is reserved for other types of precautions involving droplets and airborne pathogens. These precautions are safety measures taken to help prevent the transmission of infectious diseases that can be spread by particles in the air.

Handwashing is another contact precaution. Every single person should frequently wash their hands with soap and water or with antiseptic hand rub, especially before entering the infected patient's room and after leaving the room. This includes washing one's hands immediately after removing and discarding gloves and/or a gown.

Another contact precaution is dedicating medical equipment to only the infected patient. With this contact precaution, the healthcare personnel use the medical equipment solely on the infected patient. Medical equipment that can be dedicated in this way includes stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs.

Placing a sign on the infected patient's door is yet another contact precaution. The sign should inform of contact precautions that need to be taken upon entering the infected patient's room.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of PPE and adherence to contact precautions were crucial for preventing the transmission of the virus, as they protected healthcare workers and others from exposure to respiratory droplets and contact with contaminated surfaces.

Bibliography

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“About Scabies.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 9 Sept. 2024, www.cdc.gov/scabies/about/index.html. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.

“Appendix A: Type and Duration of Precautions Recommended for Selected Infections and Conditions.” Infection Control, 7 Feb. 2025, www.cdc.gov/infection-control/hcp/isolation-precautions/appendix-a-type-duration.html. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.

“Infection Control and Prevention.” American Nurses Association, 12 Mar. 2025, www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/work-environment/health-safety/disaster-preparedness/coronavirus/what-you-need-to-know/clinical-information/infection-control-and-prevention. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.

“Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) Basics.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 26 June 2025, www.cdc.gov/mrsa/about/index.html. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.

“Personal Protective Equipment for Infection Control.” U.S. Food & Drug Administration, 10 Feb. 2020, www.fda.gov/medicaldevices/productsandmedicalprocedures/generalhospitaldevicesandsupplies/personalprotectiveequipment/default.htm. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.

“Preventing Hospital Infections.” Interior Health, www.interiorhealth.ca/YourStay/InfectionPreventionControl/Pages/ContactPrecautions.aspx. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.