Standard precautions apply to every client, every time. Transmission-based precautions layer on top, by how the organism travels. The exam tests the match: disease → precaution → PPE → room.
| Precaution | Room | PPE / key rule |
|---|---|---|
| Airborne | Private, negative-pressure, door closed | Fit-tested N95 or respirator. Tiny droplet nuclei travel far and hang in the air. |
| Droplet | Private room preferred | Surgical mask within ~3–6 feet. Large droplets fall fast. |
| Contact | Private room or cohort | Gloves + gown on entry. Dedicated equipment stays in the room. |
| Condition | Precaution | Remember |
|---|---|---|
| Measles (rubeola) | Airborne | One of the classic airborne trio. |
| Varicella (chickenpox) & disseminated zoster | Airborne + Contact | Lesions make it both. |
| Pulmonary tuberculosis | Airborne | N95; negative-pressure room. |
| Meningococcal meningitis | Droplet | Until 24 hours after effective antibiotics start. |
| Influenza | Droplet | Mask on the client during transport. |
| Pertussis (whooping cough) | Droplet | Until 5 days after effective therapy. |
| Mumps / Rubella | Droplet | — |
| Bacterial meningitis (general) | Droplet | Plus standard precautions for all care. |
| MRSA (colonized wound/infection) | Contact | Dedicated equipment; meticulous hand hygiene. |
| VRE | Contact | Survives on surfaces — clean shared items. |
| C. difficile | Contact | Soap and water. Alcohol rub does not kill spores. |
| Norovirus | Contact | Soap and water preferred; environmental cleaning matters. |
| RSV (infants) | Contact (+ droplet per policy) | Gown/gloves; cohorting is common. |
| Scabies | Contact | Until 24 hours after treatment. |
| Herpes zoster, localized (immunocompetent) | Standard (cover lesions) | Escalates to airborne + contact if disseminated or the client is immunocompromised. |
Safety & infection control is 10–16% of the exam. Module 1 of the Core Bundle drills this chart with scenarios — visitors, transport, roommate assignments, PPE order — until the match is automatic.
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