Standard and Transmission-Based Precautions
Standard Precautions apply to every patient at every draw; contact, droplet or airborne precautions are added for specific infections, and the PPE goes on before you enter the room.
Standard Precautions (every patient)
- Treat blood, all body fluids, secretions and excretions except sweat, broken skin and mucous membranes as possibly infectious.
- Hand hygiene.
- PPE matched to the exposure you expect: gloves, gown, mask, eye protection.
- Respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette: tissues and a no-touch bin, a mask for the coughing patient if tolerated, and more than 3 feet of space where possible.
- Sharps safety: do not recap, bend or break used needles; use the safety feature; discard into a puncture-resistant container.
- Clean and disinfect shared equipment and frequently touched surfaces.
Standard Precautions combine the older Universal Precautions (blood and certain fluids) with body substance isolation (HICPAC 2007).
Preview only. The full sheet also covers: Transmission-based precautions.
Sources
- Siegel JD, Rhinehart E, Jackson M, Chiarello L, HICPAC. 2007 Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Health Care Settings. Am J Infect Control 2007;35(10 Suppl 2):S65-S164 (PMC7119119) · Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / HICPAC (PubMed Central copy)
- Appendix A: Type and Duration of Precautions Recommended for Selected Infections and Conditions (Isolation Precautions guideline; page updated September 11, 2026; includes the interim SARS-CoV-2 recommendations) · Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (read via Internet Archive snapshot of 2026-10-15)
- 29 CFR 1910.1030 Bloodborne Pathogens · Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- Glowicz JB, et al. SHEA/IDSA/APIC Practice Recommendation: Strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections through hand hygiene: 2022 Update. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2023;44:355-376 (PMC10015275) · Cambridge University Press / PubMed Central
Free Safety and Compliance practice questions
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- Question 2Which abbreviations may a phlebotomist use when documenting in the patient record?
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