Universal Precautions

Universal precautions refers to the practice, in medicine, of avoiding contact with patients bodily fluids by means of wearing nonporous articles such as medical gloves, goggles, and face shields, with the underlying infection control techniques being essentially good hygiene habits, such as hand washing and the use of gloves and other barriers, the correct handling of hypodermic needles and scalpels, and aseptic technique. Following the AIDS outbreak in the 1980s, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention formally introduced universal precautions between 1985 and 1988, under which every patient was treated as though infected so that precautions were taken to minimize risk regardless. In 1987 the practice was adjusted by a further set of rules known as body substance isolation, and in 1996 both practices were replaced by the current approach known as standard precautions, under which the use of personal protective equipment is now recommended in all health care settings.