Enteric Precautions
Key Points
- Enteric precautions are used for known or suspected GI pathogens transmitted through feces, such as C. difficile and norovirus.
- Enteric precautions layer on top of contact precautions.
- Gown use in the room is required to reduce fecal contamination of clothing.
- Use soap and water for hand hygiene; alcohol sanitizer is not effective against C. difficile spores.
- Enhanced discharge disinfection should include mattress disinfection.
Core Practice
Enteric precautions focus on preventing fecal-route transmission from the patient environment to staff, visitors, and other clients. Because spore-forming organisms can persist on surfaces, cleaning and handwashing standards are stricter than baseline contact workflow.
Nursing Interventions
- Wear gown on room entry and follow contact-precaution PPE workflow.
- Perform soap-and-water hand hygiene after care and before room exit.
- Use enhanced environmental disinfection, especially after discharge.
- Reinforce patient/family education on why sanitizer-only practice is insufficient.
Related Concepts
- transmission-based-precautions - Enteric workflow extends contact precautions for fecal-route pathogens.
- clostridioides-difficile-infection - Common enteric-precaution organism.
- hand-hygiene - Soap-and-water method is mandatory in C. difficile contexts.
- healthcare-associated-infections - Enteric control reduces unit-level spread.
Self-Check
- Why is gown use emphasized in enteric precautions even for short in-room tasks?
- What cleaning step is added after discharge for enteric-precaution rooms?