Certification in Infection Prevention and Control (CIC) Practice Exam

The correct choice is standard precautions, which are designed to protect healthcare workers and patients from infections transmitted through blood and other body fluids. This approach is essential because it assumes that all blood, body fluids, non-intact skin, and mucous membranes have the potential to contain infectious agents.

Standard precautions encompass a variety of practices, including hand hygiene, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, masks, gowns, and safe disposal of sharps. By applying these precautions universally to all patients, healthcare professionals can minimize the risk of transmission of infections regardless of the perceived risk for a given patient.

In contrast, universal precautions primarily focus on blood and certain body fluids from patients known to be infectious, which is a more limited application. Contact precautions are specific to situations where infections are spread through skin-to-skin contact or through contact with contaminated surfaces, and airborne precautions relate to diseases that are spread through the air, such as tuberculosis. Thus, standard precautions are the most comprehensive and appropriate approach in situations involving all patients and their body fluids.