Bloodborne Pathogens: Universal Precautions vs. Standard Precautions

The American Medical Association reports that 34% of physicians regularly face allegations of medical malpractice. These lawsuits happen when patients are not receiving the necessary standard of care, which can lead to serious injury or even death.
Thankfully, all medical centers should have standard policies in place to ensure quality patient care. But it’s important to make sure that these facilities have up to date guidelines, especially considering the last few years of public health issues.
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When talking about "guidelines" and "policies", what do I mean? I am referring to two terms in particular: Universal Precautions and Standard Precautions.
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, less than 1% of bacteria is actually harmful. But that 1% could mean the difference between life and death for some people.
Microbes of all kinds can pose a serious threat to humans, not just bacteria. This includes viruses, fungus, protozoans, and helminths. And ironically, you can find a lot of these threats in healthcare facilities.
Having necessary precautions in place is important to not only provide quality care to patients, but also to protect staff and the community from potential outbreaks.
In 1987, The CDC introduced the Recommendations for Prevention of HIV in Health-Care Settings. In this document, Universal Precautions were suggested for not only patients with known bloodborne illnesses, but those with unknown infection statuses as well.
Universal precautions protected medical staff from blood and certain body fluids and was a response to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic.
To protect healthcare workers, gloves and face shields were used while working with patients. The concept of personal protective equipment (PPE) during this time grew to include a wider variety of equipment. Protective gear such as plastic aprons and other covers became PPE staples to keep body fluids off of hair, skin, clothes, and mucous membranes.
Frequent handwashing was a core practice at this time as it is today. Workers also made sure to avoid exposure to needles and other instruments when the potential for contact with blood or body fluid is possible.
Along with protective barriers and hand hygiene, universal precautions focus on how infectious waste gets discarded. However these policies concerning waste were determined by state and local regulations. Policies included defining, collecting, storing, decontaminating, and disposing of waste.
But even with these precautions and policies in place, there was still a threat that was not being addressed: airborne pathogens.
In 1996, the CDC expanded on the idea of universal precautions by publishing the CDC Guideline for Isolation Precautions in Hospitals. This document drew from the major features of Universal Precautions as well as Body Substance Isolation standards to create today’s Standard Precautions.
With these expanded safety measures, medical professionals not only wielded protection from bloodborne pathogens but airborne pathogens as well. Regardless of a patient’s infection status, under these rules medical staff must take the necessary precautions while caring for patients. Blood as well as any and all bodily fluids, secretions, and excretions are all considered infectious material.
Standard Precautions are the minimum guidelines applied to all patients today, regardless of infection status or healthcare setting.
These include:
Hand Hygiene.
Personal Protective Equipment.
Respiratory Hygiene.
Sharps Safety.
Safe Injection Practices.
Sterilize instruments and devices.
Clean and disinfect environmental surfaces.
Standard Precautions and Universal Precautions are both safety concepts that heavily overlap. But these terms are not interchangeable.
Making sure your team is up to date with the latest healthcare protocols and precautions is one of the most important steps to preventing medical malpractice claims.
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Thankyou ma'am ❤