Droplet Precaution Room Workflow

Key Points

• Droplet precautions are used for pathogens spread by respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing, or talking.
• Patients should be placed in a single patient space in acute care settings.
• Staff don a mask on room entry and discard it before room exit.

Equipment

• Droplet-precaution signage and single-room placement resources
• Surgical masks at room entry point
• Hand hygiene supplies for entry and exit transitions
• Communication process for essential transport coordination

Procedure Steps

1. Confirm droplet-precaution indication based on known or suspected respiratory-droplet transmission risk.
2. Place patient in a single patient room in acute care.
3. Verify mask supply is available at room entrance before care.
4. Don mask upon entering the patient room.
5. Provide care while minimizing unnecessary room traffic.
6. Remove and discard mask before exiting the room.
7. Perform hand hygiene immediately after mask removal.
8. Limit transport outside the room to essential indications.
9. If transport is required, place a surgical mask on the patient during movement.
10. Communicate droplet status to receiving team before transfer.

Common Errors

• Entering room without mask → increased droplet exposure risk.
• Exiting room before mask removal → contamination spread into shared areas.
• Nonessential transport of droplet-isolated patient → avoidable transmission opportunity.
• Missing handoff of isolation status → delayed precautions at destination.

Related

• transport-under-transmission-based-precautions - Transport pathway for essential movement under isolation.
• mask-and-eye-face-protection-selection - Risk-based mask and barrier decisions across precaution categories.