In a patient on a telemetry unit who develops fever, leukocytosis, and a wound infection, what is the most appropriate nursing action to prevent spread?

• A. Implement contact precautions and hand hygiene.
• B. Standard precautions only.
• C. Droplet precautions.
• D. Airborne precautions.

Answer: (A)

The key is preventing transmission of an infection that spreads by contact from a wound. When a patient has a wound infection, you reduce risk by enacting contact precautions: wear a gown and gloves for all patient interactions and for handling the patient’s environment, use dedicated or properly cleaned equipment, and perform hand hygiene before and after every contact. Hand hygiene is the cornerstone of stopping spread, and PPE protects both the patient and staff from direct and indirect contact with infectious material.

Standard precautions alone provide baseline protection but don’t address the higher risk from a wound infection that can spread via contact. Droplet and airborne precautions are reserved for pathogens that spread through respiratory droplets or aerosols, which isn’t the primary concern with a wound infection unless there are additional respiratory symptoms.