Q&A education tool for patients on isolation
The following questions and answers are summarized with permission from an educational brochure developed at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC, for patients who are being placed in contact isolation:
Question: What is contact isolation?
Answer: Certain medical conditions call for the use of special precautions called Contact Isolation, when caring for a patient. We are using these special precautions when caring for you to prevent the possible spread to others.
Question: Why is Contact Isolation needed?
Answer: Contact isolation is necessary to avoid the spread of some types of germs, especially those causing certain infections, colonization (the presence of a bacteria without causing illness), or those resistant to a lot of antibiotics medicines. Some of these infections include:
- Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE)
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)
- Vancomycin Intermediate Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (VISA)
- B. Cepacia
- Clostridium difficile (C. Diff)
- Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)
Question: How do people get such an infection?
Answer: There are many risk factors for getting such an infection. These may include:
- The use of antibiotic medicine in the past.
- A long hospital stay or having been in another health care facility for an extended amount of time.
- Having another disorder such as diabetes, cancer, or a weakened immune system.
- Requiring the use of IVs, urinary catheters, drains, or a breathing machine over a long period of time.
Question: What about family members and visitors?
Answer: All visitors should check with the nursing staff before visiting. Healthy people rarely get an infection that requires precautions. Visitors must follow the hospital’s contact isolation policy by wearing a gown and gloves while in your room. They must remove the gown and gloves and wash their hands before leaving your room.
Question: Can I walk outside of my room?
Answer: Yes, be sure you have on a clean hospital gown and wash your hands before leaving your room. If you are coughing, please wear a face mask to protect other patients. You should not go into other patients’ rooms, the food galley, or the cafeteria.
Question: How long will I be on isolation?
Answer: You can be taken off Contact Isolation when certain conditions have been met with negative laboratory cultures.
Question: What happens after leaving the hospital?
Answer: It is not likely that any special safety measures will be needed when you are no longer in the hospital. It is OK for you to hug and kiss visitors or family members, even children and babies. Linens and bedclothes soiled with body fluids should be washed in hot, soapy water. No special care is needed with eating utensils or dishes. In general, it is a good idea to clean shared toilets with a bleach-and-water solution if the seat becomes soiled. Good hand washing always is important and the key to stopping the spread of germs. Hand washing with warm, soapy water for 15 seconds always is a good idea:
- before eating;
- after sneezing;
- after using the bathroom or helping someone with toileting;
- handling animals or pets;
- before or after wound care or IV care.
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