A phlebotomist is required to use which transmission-based precautions for a patient with bacterial meningitis?

For a patient with bacterial meningitis, the appropriate transmission-based precautions are droplet precautions. Bacterial meningitis can be transmitted through respiratory droplets, especially during activities such as coughing, sneezing, or talking. Droplet precautions are designed to prevent the spread of pathogens that can be transmitted via respiratory droplets when a person is in close proximity to others.

When using droplet precautions, healthcare workers should wear a mask when entering the patient's room and ensure that the patient wears a mask if they need to leave their room for any reason. This helps to create a barrier that reduces the risk of transmission between the patient and others, including healthcare staff and other patients.

Standard precautions are essential in all healthcare settings and focus on reducing the risk of transmission of bloodborne and other pathogens through hand hygiene and the use of personal protective equipment as needed. While these are critical for overall safe practice, they do not specifically address the droplet transmission related to bacterial meningitis.

Airborne precautions are necessary for diseases that can be transmitted by smaller airborne particles, which is not applicable to bacterial meningitis. Universal precautions is an older term that has largely been replaced by standard precautions; it specifically refers to practices intended to prevent transmission of bloodborne infectious agents.

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