Which precaution should be applied to a patient known to be infected with a pathogenic organism or communicable disease?

Which precaution should be applied to a patient known to be infected with a pathogenic organism or communicable disease?

• A. Standard Precautions
• B. Airborne Precautions
• C. Contact Precautions
• D. Transmission-Based Precautions

Answer: (D)

When a patient is known to have a communicable disease, you apply Transmission-Based Precautions in addition to Standard Precautions. Standard Precautions protect against exposure to blood and body fluids for all patients, but they don’t address the specific route by which a pathogen spreads. Transmission-Based Precautions provide the extra measures tailored to how the organism is transmitted—airborne, droplet, or contact—so the protection matches the infection. Since the situation calls for extra, route-aware precautions for a known infection, this umbrella category is the appropriate choice rather than relying on standard precautions alone or selecting only a single route unless that route is confirmed.

When a patient is known to have a communicable disease, you apply Transmission-Based Precautions in addition to Standard Precautions. Standard Precautions protect against exposure to blood and body fluids for all patients, but they don’t address the specific route by which a pathogen spreads. Transmission-Based Precautions provide the extra measures tailored to how the organism is transmitted—airborne, droplet, or contact—so the protection matches the infection. Since the situation calls for extra, route-aware precautions for a known infection, this umbrella category is the appropriate choice rather than relying on standard precautions alone or selecting only a single route unless that route is confirmed.