What it means
A CDC approach for nursing homes. Staff put on a gown and gloves for high-contact care, such as dressing, bathing, transferring, toileting, changing linens, and caring for wounds or devices like catheters and feeding tubes, for residents who carry a multidrug-resistant organism or have a wound or indwelling device. Unlike contact precautions, the resident is not kept in their room and can take part in group activities.
For the nurse
Post the sign at the door, keep gowns and gloves just outside the room, and use them only for the listed high-contact tasks; standard precautions and hand hygiene apply at all times.
Related terms
MRSA
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a staph bacterium that many common antibiotics cannot kill.
hand hygiene
Cleaning the hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.
contact precautions
Infection control steps, used on top of standard precautions, for germs that spread by touching the client or things around them.