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Question

Difficulty: MediumStandard and Transmission-Based Precautions

A practical nurse receives a report on a client admitted with a confirmed diagnosis of seasonal influenza. The unit currently has no private rooms available. The nurse should expect this client to share a room with which of the following clients?

  1. A
    A client who is recovering from bacterial pneumonia and completing a course of intravenous antibiotics
  2. B
    A client who requires contact precautions for an active methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection
  3. A client who has also been admitted with a confirmed diagnosis of seasonal influenzaAnswer
  4. D
    A client who is severely immunocompromised following a recent organ transplant

Answer

The safest option is to place the client in a room with another client who has the same confirmed diagnosis of seasonal influenza.
According to standard infection control guidelines, when private rooms are unavailable, it is acceptable to cohort (room together) clients who are infected with the exact same microorganism. Because both clients have a confirmed diagnosis of seasonal influenza, they pose no additional risk of cross-infecting each other with a new pathogen.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the transmission-based precaution requirements for the newly admitted client.
Seasonal influenza is transmitted via large respiratory droplets and requires droplet precautions.
Understanding the mode of transmission is the first step in determining safe room placement.
2
Recall the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for cohorting clients when private rooms are unavailable.
CDC guidelines state that clients infected with the exact same pathogen can safely share a room.
Cohorting clients with identical active infections prevents the introduction of new pathogens to either client.
3
Evaluate the infectious status and vulnerability of each potential roommate.
Only the client who already has confirmed seasonal influenza is a safe match; the others are either vulnerable to infection or carry different pathogens.
Cross-contamination or exposing an immunocompromised client to an active infection violates core safety principles.

Key Concept

Cohorting Guidelines for Transmission-Based Precautions
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Topics

Standard and Transmission-Based Precautions

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