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Tip of the week: Children present a challenge with contact precautions

Infection Control Monitor, July 13, 2007

Children can present a particular challenge when it comes to enforcing contact precautions. It's traditionally very difficult to get families of toddlers to comply with isolation precautions. It may be difficult for parents to see the benefit of wearing a gown and gloves around young, sensitive children, particularly when the risk of infection is to themselves and others, and not their child.

Monitoring is one way to address this situation: infection control professionals and other staff members should look for compliance with contact precautions and address any problem behavior. When it comes to visits, it's easier to set the rules in a policy ahead of time and make exceptions on a case-by-case basis, says Aaron Milstone, MD, of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

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