Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology (CBIC) Practice Exam 2025 – The All-in-One Guide for Exam Success

Contact precautions are a specific set of infection control practices designed to prevent the transmission of infectious agents that can spread through direct or indirect contact. This involves taking measures to minimize the risk of pathogens being transferred from one person to another or from surfaces to individuals.

In a healthcare setting, this includes the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves and gowns, when interacting with patients known or suspected to be infected with organisms that can be transmitted via contact. Additionally, the healthcare environment may implement stringent cleaning protocols to ensure that surfaces and equipment that may have been contaminated are thoroughly disinfected.

The rationale behind contact precautions is to protect both healthcare workers and other patients from infections that can be spread through touch. For example, multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) or VRE (vancomycin-resistant enterococci) thrive on skin and surfaces, necessitating these precautions to prevent further transmission in a healthcare environment.

By focusing on reducing the risk of contact transmission, healthcare settings can help safeguard patient health and control the spread of infections.