Back to the future: Redefining "universal precautions" to include masking for all patient encounters

Author Department

Infectious Diseases; Medicine

Document Type

Article, Peer-reviewed

Publication Date

2-2023

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

Share

COinS