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Article
Back to the future: Redefining "universal precautions" to include masking for all patient encounters
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  • Sarah Haessler, MD, Baystate Health
Document Type
Article, Peer-reviewed
Publication Date
2-1-2023
Abstract

Despite recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) allowing institutions to relax in-facility masking strategies and due to our evolving understanding of respiratory pathogen transmission during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we propose an updated standard for universal precautions in healthcare settings: permanently including universal masking in routine patient-care interactions. Such a practice prioritizes safety for patients, healthcare providers (HCPs), and visitors.

PMID
36762631
Citation Information
Kalu IC, Henderson DK, Weber DJ, Haessler S. Back to the future: Redefining "universal precautions" to include masking for all patient encounters. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2023 Feb 10:1-2. doi: 10.1017/ice.2023.2. Epub ahead of print.