Universal Precautions in the Home Health Care Setting

Universal precautions is a system of protections created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in an attempt to prevent the spreading of blood-borne pathogens. Individuals who provide health care within the home must be cognizant of, and carefully follow, these safety procedures to ensure that they do not become infected with a communicable disease during the course of providing care. By following these guidelines carefully, home health care providers can substantially decrease their risk of contracting a potentially deadly blood-borne disease.

Hand Washing

• Home health care providers should wash their hands before and after each contact with the patient or the patient's bodily fluids. Hand washing with warm water and antibacterial soap not only decreases the risk of transmission of a blood-borne disease, but also decreases the likelihood that the home health care worker will inadvertently infect the patient with another communicable diseases, such as the common cold or a flu virus.

Glove Wearing

• Health care providers should protect their hands with gloves any time they come into contact with human bodily fluid. If the worker is regularly required to come into contact with bodily fluids, he should keep gloves on his person at all times to prepare for this common occurrence. If the worker accidentally makes contact with a bodily fluid with uncovered hands, he should wash his hands as soon as possible using antibacterial soap.

Patient Bodily Fluid Clean-up

• To avoid accidental contact, workers should clean up bodily fluid that the patient expels as quickly and completely as possible. Vomit, blood and urine should be cleaned up with chemicals approved for use with human fluids. Careful clean-up of these bodily fluids ensures that any diseases the patient posses are not passed on to either the worker or another member of the household.

Needle Storage and Disposal

• Needle pricks can potentially spread blood-borne pathogens. All unused needles should be stored in a hard-sided container to prevent accidental needle pricks. Used needles should be disposed of properly in an approved container. If workers regularly use needles with their in-home patients, they should prepare special provisions for these sharp medical supplies, setting up a needle station for storage and disposal. If needles are infrequently used, disposable needle storage and disposal containers are permissible.