Infection Control and Standard Precautions
Break one link in the chain
Infection needs a germ, a reservoir, a way out, a way in, and a susceptible host - remove one link and transmission stops. Hand hygiene is the single most effective action. Use soap and water when hands are visibly soiled and always for C. difficile and norovirus; alcohol rub is fine otherwise. Wash before and after every resident contact, after gloves, after the bathroom, and before eating.
Standard precautions mean treat all blood, body fluids, secretions, non-intact skin, and mucous membranes as infectious - every resident, every time. Wear gloves for contact with fluids; add gown, mask, and eye protection when splashes are likely. Gloves never replace hand washing, and they never leave the room. Donning order: gown, mask, goggles, gloves. Doffing: gloves first, then goggles, gown, mask, then wash hands.
Transmission-based precautions add to standard: contact (MRSA, C. diff, scabies) - gown and gloves, dedicated equipment; droplet (influenza, pertussis) - mask plus eyes; airborne (TB, measles) - fit-tested N95 and a negative-pressure room. Do not share equipment between residents without cleaning. Keep artificial nails off, keep hair back, cover cuts. Handle linen away from your body, never shake it, and bag it at the point of use.
Traps. Gloves without hand hygiene; wearing PPE into the hallway; using alcohol rub after C. difficile.
Rule of thumb. Scrub in, glove up, peel gloves off first, scrub out.