The nurse should utilize what type of precaution when palpating the lips in a healthy adult?
A.
Contact precautions.
B.
Airborne precautions.
C.
Standard precautions.
D.
Droplet precautions.
The Correct answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is C. Standard precautions.
Explanation:
Standard precautions are the minimum infection prevention practices that apply to all patient care, regardless of the patient’s infection status. These precautions are based on the premise that all blood, body fluids, secretions, excretions (except sweat), and non-intact skin may contain transmissible infectious agents. They are designed to protect healthcare workers and patients by minimizing the risk of transmission of pathogens.
When palpating the lips of a healthy adult, standard precautions are sufficient because the individual does not have a known infection that poses a risk of transmission. The primary elements of standard precautions include hand hygiene, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) when appropriate, and safe injection practices.
For example, before palpating the lips, the nurse should perform hand hygiene to reduce the microbial load on their hands. This can be done using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. If there are any anticipated exposures to blood or bodily fluids—though unlikely in this scenario—the nurse might consider wearing gloves. However, for palpating the lips of a healthy adult without any visible lesions or signs of infection, gloves may not be necessary.
Contact, droplet, and airborne precautions are used in specific circumstances where there is a known risk of transmission of infectious agents. Contact precautions are implemented for patients with known infections that can be transmitted through direct or indirect contact; droplet precautions are necessary when pathogens are spread through respiratory droplets, and airborne precautions are required for infections that can be transmitted through aerosols. None of these are warranted for a healthy adult, making standard precautions the appropriate choice.