Reviewed and updated by Megan Doble, DNP, CRNP, FNP-C, AGACNP-C: March 12, 2024
As the influenza season begins to subside, we can take a step back and reflect on best practices. Isolation guidelines in the healthcare setting continue to come up year after year as an area that brings some confusion to the clinical realm.
According to the CDC, on average, 200,000 persons are hospitalized with influenza-related illnesses on an annual basis. It is imperative, that we take proper precautions to prevent the spread of influenza healthcare settings which include acute-care hospitals, long-term care facilities, outpatient offices, and home healthcare settings.
Influenza is transmitted from person to person through large particle respiratory droplets which can travel up to six feet through the air. Transmission may also occur indirectly via hand contact of infectious particles on contaminated surfaces or objects to mucosal surfaces of the nose or mouth. Interestingly, all respiratory secretions and bodily fluids including stool of patients with influenza are consider potentially infectious. In the healthcare setting, adherence to both standard and droplet precautions are necessary in patients with confirmed or suspected influenza. According to the CDC, droplet precautions should remain in place for seven days after illness onset or until 24 hours after resolution of fever and respiratory symptoms. Some healthcare facilities may have a specific policy requiring a longer duration of adherence to droplet precautions. As a general rule, visitors of patients in isolation for influenza should be limited and should be screened for symptoms of respiratory illness, be provided proper personal protective equipment according to the facility policy, and should not be present during aerosol-generating procedures. Finally, most healthcare settings endorse the posting of appropriate signage outside patient rooms identifying the level of transmission-based precautions that are in place with basic instructions on how to adhere to the precautions.
Most health care facilities have an infection control nurse or department to contact if there are any questions regarding the level of transmission-based precautions. Furthermore, the CDC offers a
comprehensive reference with explicit details on preventing the spread of influenza in the health care setting.
As a review, the CDC guidelines for isolation precautions are presented in the infographics below.
References:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, (2021, May 13). Prevention Strategies for Seasonal Influenza in Healthcare Settings: Guidelines and Recommendations. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/infectioncontrol/healthcaresettings.htm#
Siegel, J.D., Rhinehart, E., Jackson, M., Chiarello, L., & the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee, (2007). Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings 2007. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/pdf/isolation2007.pdf
Tags :