👤 By the CinnaRN Clinical Content Team🕐 Updated 2026-08-23🏷️ Safety & Infection Control🔖 Free to read, print, and share
Also known as: universal precautions · basic infection control · blood and body fluid precautions
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Use this quick-reference guide to spot, treat, and prevent Standard Precautions on the NCLEX. Keep it handy during review and on exam day!
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📒 The 1-minute cheat sheet
✅ Do
Hand hygiene before/after each contact
Gloves for blood/body fluids/mucosa
Gown/mask/goggles if splash risk
📌 Rule
Treat ALL fluids as infectious
Applies regardless of diagnosis
✅ Do
No recap needles; sharps box at bedside
Respiratory etiquette, cover cough
📌 Avoid
Never reuse single-use gloves
📚 Standard Precautions — full study notes
The cheat sheet above is your quick recall card. These notes go deeper — what it is, what to do first, what must be reported, and what to teach.
Standard Precautions are the baseline practices used with EVERY patient, every time, regardless of diagnosis or suspected infection status. They assume all blood, body fluids, secretions, excretions (except sweat), non-intact skin, and mucous membranes may be infectious. The core principle is hand hygiene plus risk-based use of PPE.
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Key points
Understand these first
Apply to all patients regardless of known infection status; they are the foundation under all transmission-based precautions.
Cover blood, all body fluids, secretions, excretions, non-intact skin, and mucous membranes; sweat is the only excluded fluid.
Hand hygiene before and after every patient contact is the single most effective measure to prevent infection spread.
Gloves are worn for any anticipated contact with body fluids or contaminated surfaces and changed between patients.
Include respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette, safe injection practices, and never recapping needles.
Choice of gown, mask, or eye protection is driven by the anticipated risk of splash or spray.
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Nursing priorities
What to do, in order
Perform hand hygiene before and after patient contact and after glove removal.
Select PPE based on the expected exposure to blood and body fluids for the task.
Dispose of sharps in a puncture-resistant container immediately at point of use.
Clean and disinfect shared equipment and high-touch surfaces between patients.
Apply cough etiquette: offer masks and tissues and maintain spacing for coughing patients.
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Red flags — report now
Escalate immediately
Never recap, bend, or break used needles; activate the safety device and drop straight into the sharps bin.
Do not reuse gloves between patients or rely on gloves as a substitute for hand hygiene.
Report any blood or body fluid exposure to mucous membranes or non-intact skin immediately.
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Patient teaching
What patients must know
Anyone can carry organisms without symptoms, so the same precautions protect both you and others.
Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or elbow and perform hand hygiene afterward.
❓ Standard Precautions: NCLEX FAQs
What are the priority nursing interventions for Standard Precautions?
Perform hand hygiene before and after patient contact and after glove removal. Select PPE based on the expected exposure to blood and body fluids for the task. Dispose of sharps in a puncture-resistant container immediately at point of use. Clean and disinfect shared equipment and high-touch surfaces between patients.
What are the warning signs of Standard Precautions a nurse must report?
Never recap, bend, or break used needles; activate the safety device and drop straight into the sharps bin. Do not reuse gloves between patients or rely on gloves as a substitute for hand hygiene. Report any blood or body fluid exposure to mucous membranes or non-intact skin immediately.
What do I need to know about Standard Precautions for the NCLEX?
Apply to all patients regardless of known infection status; they are the foundation under all transmission-based precautions. Cover blood, all body fluids, secretions, excretions, non-intact skin, and mucous membranes; sweat is the only excluded fluid. Hand hygiene before and after every patient contact is the single most effective measure to prevent infection spread. Gloves are worn for any anticipated contact with body fluids or contaminated surfaces and changed between patients.
What patient teaching is important for Standard Precautions?
Anyone can carry organisms without symptoms, so the same precautions protect both you and others. Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or elbow and perform hand hygiene afterward.
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Quick Tip
Apply to all patients regardless of known infection status; they are the foundation under all transmission-based precautions.