The nursing of someone who has an infectious disease. It involves keeping them away from other patients and making sure that faeces and soiled bedclothes do not carry the infection to other patients.
The nursing of a patient suffering from an infectious disease in such a way that the risk of their passing on the disease to others is reduced. Thus, precautions are taken to ensure that all infective matter — such as stools, urine, sputum, discharge from wounds, and anything that may be contaminated by such infective matter (e.g. nurses’ uniforms, bedding and towels) — is so treated that it will not convey the infection.
The use of special gloves, masks, and gowns to prevent contact between sources of infection and medical personnel caring for critically ill patients. Situations in which one would use these precautions include care of the patient with tuberculosis, gas gangrene, fulminant sepsis, and other highly contagious conditions.
Infection control is a nursing technique implemented to prevent a patient with an infectious disease from transmitting the infection to others. In the context of reverse barrier nursing, the focus is on protecting patients with reduced immunity, such as those with immunodeficiency disorders or individuals recovering from certain types of surgery, from acquiring infections from external sources.