 Infection control is reducing the risk of spreading disease. All patients receiving care should be treated in a manner which minimizes the risk of transmission of any kind of microorganisms from patient to health care worker, health care worker to patient and from patient to health care worker to another patient. Proper hand hygiene is one of the most effective methods utilized to prevent the spread of infection. Hands should be washed before and after all patient contact regardless of whether gloves are being worn. Hand washing should take place immediately before and after gloves are used, performed between patient contacts and anytime one handles blood, body fluids, secretions, including sputum excretions or potentially contaminated items or equipment. Health care workers hands can also become contaminated with bacteria by doing simple tasks such as pulling patients up in bed, taking a blood pressure or pulse, touching a patient's hand, rolling or moving patients over in bed, touching the patient's gown or bed sheets, or touching equipment like bedside rails, over bed tables and IV pumps. Wash your hands with plain soap and water or with antimicrobial soap and water if your hands are visibly soiled, visibly contaminated with blood or body fluids, before eating and after using the restroom. When washing hands with plain or antimicrobial soap, wet hands first with water avoiding hot water that can damage the skin. Apply three to five milliliters of soap to hands. Rub hands together for at least 15 seconds covering all surfaces of the hands and fingers. Rinse hands with water and dry thoroughly. Use paper towel to turn off water faucet. If hands are not visibly soiled or contaminated with blood or body fluids, use an alcohol-based hand rub for routinely cleaning your hands before having direct contact with patients, after having direct contact with a patient's skin, after having contact with body fluids, wounds or broken skin, after touching equipment or furniture near the patient, after removing gloves. Apply 1.5 to 3 milliliters of a waterless alcohol-based hand sanitizer such as foam or gel to the palm of one hand and rub hands together, covering all surfaces of your hands and fingers, including areas around or under the fingernails. Continue rubbing hands together until alcohol dries. If you applied a sufficient amount of alcohol hand rub, it should take at least 10 to 15 seconds of rubbing before your hands feel dry. Using personal protective equipment when you anticipate potential contact with blood or body fluids is another effective means to preventing the spread of infection. This strategy is known as standard precautions and is applied to all patients all the time. Standard precautions are designed to reduce the risk of transmission of microorganisms from both recognized and unrecognized sources of infection. Gloves should be worn if touching blood, body fluids, secretions, excretions or contaminated objects. Gloves must be worn in case of contact with mucus membranes or broken skin. Gloves must always be changed between patients. Hand washing should be performed before donning gloves and after removing gloves. Gloves must always be changed between patients after wound dressing changes or other contact with dirty sites. Wearing gloves is not a substitute for hand washing. Mask and eye protection should be worn to protect mucus membranes during procedures that are likely to result in splashing of blood, body fluids, secretions or excretions. A gown should be worn to protect skin and clothing during procedures that are likely to result in splashing of blood, body fluids, secretions or excretions. To prevent exposure or infection from blood-borne pathogens, conscientiously practice these precautions. Obtain the hepatitis B vaccination. Never bend, break, clip or recap needles. Properly dispose of sharps and rigid sharp containers. Wear gloves, gowns and or face protection when anticipating exposure to body fluid. When possible, limit the use of non-critical care equipment to a single patient. Properly disinfect patient care equipment between patients. In addition to standard precautions, patients suspected of having certain pathogens should be isolated based on how the pathogen transmits. There are three isolation precautions used in hospitals. Contact, droplet and airborne. Contact isolation. The patient's room should be a private room if possible. When private rooms are not available, place the patient with another patient infected with the same microorganism but with no other infection. This is called cohorting. Non-stero gloves should be worn when entering the room. During patient contact, change gloves after contact with infected material. Dispose of the gloves before leaving the room and wash hands immediately with an antimicrobial agent or waterless hand sanitizer. Being careful to not touch potentially contaminated surfaces, equipment or other items before leaving the room. Clean non-stero gown should be worn when entering the room. Contact precautions should be used in suspected cases of diarrhea when the patient may be infected or colonized by multi-drug resistant organisms and certain other types of communicable infections. Skin, wound or urinary tract infection in a patient with a recent hospital or nursing home stay may require contact precautions. Others needing contact precautions include patients with abscesses or draining wounds, skin infections and viral infections. Dispose of the gown before leaving the patient's environment and be careful not to contaminate your clothes. Do not reuse the gloves, gown or other personal protective equipment. Droplet isolation. The patient's room should be a private room if possible. When private rooms are not available, place the patient with another patient infected with the same microorganism but with no other infection. If this accommodation cannot be met, maintain a distance of at least three feet between infected patient and other patients and visitors. Masks are worn within three feet of the patient. However, it is best to put the mask on upon entering the room. Droplet precautions should be used for patients with respiratory infections such as pertussis and viral infections caused by influenza, mumps or rubella. Airborne isolation. Patients in airborne isolation need a private room where the air flows from the hall into the room, known as negative air flow, which provides six to 12 changes per hour and appropriate discharge of the air outdoors. The door must remain closed. Respiratory protection should be worn when entering the room. This protection is known as an N95 particulate respirator. An N95 particulate respirator meets the Centers for Disease Control Performance for tuberculosis respirator. Infections which require airborne precautions include pulmonary tuberculosis, measles and chickenpox.