For a patient with MRSA infection, which precautions are required to prevent transmission?

• A. Standard precautions
• B. Contact precautions (gloves and gown; dedicated equipment)
• C. Droplet precautions
• D. Airborne precautions

Answer: (B)

MRSA spreads mainly by direct contact with infected skin or contaminated surfaces, so preventing transmission relies on contact precautions. This means wearing gloves and a gown whenever entering the patient’s room or performing patient-care activities and using dedicated, nonshared equipment to avoid cross-contamination. Hand hygiene before and after care is essential to stop any transfer, and placing the patient in a private room (or cohorting with the same infection if needed) helps contain spread.

Standard precautions are used for all patients, but MRSA requires an added layer of protection because its primary transmission route is contact. Droplet precautions address spreading through respiratory droplets, and airborne precautions address tiny particles that linger in the air; neither is the main route for MRSA, so those precautions aren’t routinely required for MRSA unless another infection requiring them is present.