Refreshing isolation guidelines

As flu season begins to come back to an end, we will take a step back and reflect on best practices. Guidelines for isolation in healthcare settings appear yr after yr as an area of ​​clinical confusion. According to the CDC, a median of 200,000 people a yr are hospitalized for flu-related illnesses. It is crucial to take appropriate precautions to forestall the spread of influenza in healthcare settings, which include acute care hospitals, long-term care facilities, ambulatory offices, and residential health care facilities.

Influenza is spread from individual to individual through large respiratory droplets that may travel as much as six feet within the air. Transmission can also occur not directly through contact of infectious particles with hands with contaminated surfaces or objects with surfaces of the nasal or oral mucosa. Interestingly, all respiratory secretions and body fluids, including the feces of influenza patients, are considered potentially infectious. In healthcare settings, each standard and droplet precautions should be followed for patients with confirmed or suspected influenza. According to the CDC, droplet precautions should last for seven days after the onset of illness or for as much as 24 hours after fever and respiratory symptoms subside. Some healthcare facilities could have specific policies requiring longer periods of time to stick to droplet precautions. In general, visits to patients isolated for influenza needs to be limited, assessed for symptoms of respiratory illness, supplied with appropriate personal protective equipment in accordance with facility policy, and shouldn’t be present during aerosol-generating procedures. Finally, most health care facilities support the posting of appropriate signs outside patient rooms advising on the extent of infection precautions in place, together with basic instructions on apply those precautions.

Most healthcare facilities have an infection control nurse or unit who might be contacted if you will have any questions on the extent of precautions taken against the danger of transmission. Additionally, CDC offers, amongst others: comprehensive reference with clear details on prevent the spread of influenza in healthcare settings.

As a part of the review, CDC guidelines for isolation precautions are presented within the infographic below.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (2021, May 13). Seasonal influenza prevention strategies in healthcare settings: guidelines and proposals. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/infectioncontrol/healthcaresettings.htm#

Siegel, J. D., Rhinehart, E., Jackson, M., Chiarello, L., & Advisory Committee on Infection Control Practices in Healthcare (2007). Guidance on Isolation Precautions: Preventing the Transmission of Infectious Agents in Health Care Settings 2007. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/pdf/isolation2007.pdf