What are some isolation precautions you may be wondering? Isolation precautions are “infection control practices to reduce or eliminate the transmission of pathogens” (Foundations Of Nursing). Some of these precautions include gowns, gloves, and masks. Isolation precautions were created to protect other patients and yourself from the patient suffering from deadly and contagious diseases such as tuberculosis. “The fear of contagious diseases… dates back at least to biblical times when people suffering from leprosy or plague were usually segregated from the rest of society” (Nursing Standard). The most common way for microorganisms to spread is physical contact with someone , such as an effortless handshake. With any patient, it is essential to change gloves between each treatment. As a nurse, your uniform becomes the most contaminated with microorganisms, often from the environment patients, hand hygiene is the most important. Standard precautions reduce the risk of spreading microorganisms from recognized and unrecognized sources of infection in hospitals. "The use of standard precautions assumes that every person is potentially infected or colonized from an organism that could be transmitted in a healthcare setting. As the name suggests, standard precautions require the healthcare worker to regularly follow basic principles of infection control, such as hand hygiene" (British Journal of Nursing). The most important things to take into consideration are washing of hands, putting on gloves, putting on masks and wearing clothes. During patient care there are no reusable equipment, each patient needs new equipment when being cared for ... middle of paper ... were germs transmitted? Has hand hygiene itself had an important impact on the prevention of infections and on the health of patients. Improvements in hand hygiene have resulted in a reduction in gastrointestinal diseases 31% and a reduction in respiratory illnesses by 21%. (American Journal of Public Health) It is very important to know that you need to wash your hands before entering and leaving the patient's room. All of these precautions have many similarities and differences. By air, Droplet and Contact, shared hand washing and patient transport should be limited and the patient should be kept in an isolated room. the difference is that in Airborne you must wear a NIOSH-approved N-95 mask. When transporting a patient it is not necessary to wear a mask regarding droplet precautions. And in contact precautions you must also wear gloves and gowns.