Mycobacterium tuberculosis is transmitted in airborne particles called droplet nuclei that are expelled when persons with pulmonary or laryngeal TB cough, sneeze, shout, or sing. The tiny bacteria can be carried by air currents throughout a room or building. Tuberculosis is not transmitted by direct contact or via contaminated surfaces or items. Show
Health care personnel are potentially exposed to TB during health care activities, case management activities, or when persons with unrecognized pulmonary TB are present in the facility. Facilities should establish TB infection control programs that include administrative, environmental, and respiratory protection measures to help prevent TB transmission among staff and visitors.
In all settings, prompt recognition of individuals needing airborne precautions is the cornerstone to infection prevention. Airborne precautions are used in addition to standard precautions to prevent disease transmission from individuals known or suspected to have diseases spread by fine particles, including TB.
In airborne precautions, patients may be asked to wear surgical masks outside of a negative pressure room. Health care personnel should only wear N95 or PAPR respirators and never wear surgical masks.
Patients with infectious TB can be released from home isolation when all of the following criteria are met:
Environmental controls are the second line of defense in TB infection control programs. Environmental controls include technologies for removal or inactivation of TB in the air. These technologies include:
You should be aware of the environment of your facility, including air flow, UV lighting, and availability of HEPA filters, negative pressure rooms, or alternative methods for achieving negative pressure. The CDC Guidelines for Preventing Transmission of TB in Healthcare Settings (see Table 1) specifies the amount of clearance time required based on the number of air exchanges that occur in the room per hour. Contact your building maintenance staff if you do not know the air exchange rate of the room.
Administrative measures to establish TB precautions include:
Questions
about TB? Contact Us! What steps should the nurse follow when admitting a client with tuberculosis?Patients who are initially suspected of having active TB should be placed in an airborne precautions isolation room. Airborne precautions require a private room and a negative pressure air handling system that exhausts to the outside.. Wash hands.. Mask or respirator.. Goggles/face shield.. Gloves.. Which precautions would the nurse take when caring for a client with tuberculosis TB?General TB precautions
Establish cough etiquette practices among staff and clients. Provide tissue, surgical masks, hand-hygiene products, and waste containers in common areas, such as waiting rooms, so people with respiratory symptoms can contain coughing and sneezing.
Which instruction would the nurse provide to the patient to prevent the spread of tuberculosis?Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. After you cough, throw the tissue away in a covered container. Avoid public areas until you have been told that you cannot spread TB.
Which action would the nurse include to prevent transmission of tuberculosis within a community?Specific actions to reduce the risk of tuberculosis transmission should include a) screening patients for active tuberculosis and tuberculous infection, b) providing rapid diagnostic services, c) prescribing appropriate curative and preventive therapy, d) maintaining physical measures to reduce microbial contamination ...
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