Everyone has germs. Most of them are harmless, some are helpful. A few germs, however, can make you sick. At Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, our goal is to protect our patients, their families and visitors from germs that might make them sick. In the hospital, precautions are used as a way of stopping the spread of germs from one person to another. This page should help answer questions that you/your family may have.
What are "Contact Precautions"?
You have been placed in "Contact Precautions" because you have (or may have) germs in or on your body that can be harmful to other people. These germs are spread when people touch you or your environment, or when you touch others. Placing you in Contact Precautions informs the staff, so they can prevent the spread of these germs to other patients.
What will the hospital staff do?
- Wash their hands before and after EVERY encounter with your child
- Place a Green Contact Precautions sign on your door to let staff entering your room know what to do
- Wear gloves when entering your room and gowns when they may contact you or your environment
- Make sure that your child receives all the necessary care he/she requires
- Provide individualized Child Life services in your room, such as bringing videos or toys
It is okay to remind our staff to clean their hands and wear gloves and gowns!
What can you do to help?
- Wash your hands often, especially upon entering and exiting the room
- Limit visitors to parents/guardians or primary care provider
- Be sure visitors entering your room have read the sign on your door and wash their hands.
What should your visitors do?
- Wash their hands upon entering and exiting your room
- Avoid contact with the child's dressings, urine bag, or IV or drainage tubes, etc.
- Go to the nurse's station if they have any questions
Because you or your visitors do not go into the rooms of other patients, you do not need to wear gowns and gloves, but you do need to wash your hands!
What is the best way to clean your hands to protect your child?
Use Soap and Water:
- Wet hands with warm water
- Dispense one measure of soap into palm
- Work up lather by rubbing hands together for 15seconds, covering all surfaces of the hands and fingers
- Rinse hands thoroughly
- Dry hands with paper towel
- Discard towel in the trash container
Use Alcohol Gel:
- Dispense one measure of gel into palm of one dry hand
- Rub hands together covering all surfaces of hands and fingers until dry, about 15 – 20 seconds
If you have C. difficile, soap and water hand cleaning should be used.
Contact Us
If you have further concerns or questions, contact the Department of Infection Control at 513-636-8492.
For additional information on this or any health topic, please call the Family Resource Center, 513-636-7606, or your pediatrician.
Written 10/07
