Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/841282
When was the last time you revisited your Standard Precautions protocols? Do you know what to do if your client has a bloody nose while on the massage table? Or if a new mother's breast milk leaks during a session? Standard Precautions, as indicated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are meant to keep you and your clients safe. From sterilizing massage tools and linens to proper hand hygiene, these government-issued protocols should be part of every massage therapist's daily routine. UNIVERSAL AND STANDARD PRECAUTIONS Universal Precautions were first released by the CDC in 1987 in response to the HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B public health crises. According to pathology expert Ruth Werner, these protocols were meant to "create some uniformity in how medical professionals could limit contact with body fluids in the working environment." Subsequently, Standard Precautions 101 Revisit What You May Have Forgotten (or learn what you were never taught) By Karrie Osborn For more on Standard Precautions and good practice protocols, read Ruth Werner's article, "Hygiene Fact and Fiction," in the May/June 2012 issue of Massage & Bodywork. For the most up-to-date information, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov. further guidelines were issued by the CDC, and these new Standard Precautions included more direction for dealing with all body fluids from all potential patients, regardless of their diagnoses or presumed infection status. Even though massage therapists don't have the same exposure to body fluids as other health-care professionals, there are still plenty of circumstances when they are. Practicing Standard Precautions as part of your daily routine ensures that regardless of the circumstance, you have best practices in place to deal with any situation. Whether you're faced with cleaning up blood or just changing sheets for the next client, Standard Precautions outlines the "playbook" for how it should be done to protect both you and your clients. The most important thing to take away from these guidelines is that your care in dealing with clients should be the same—from client to client. Health histories may not tell you everything about each client, so experts say you should assume that everyone is a carrier of a blood-borne pathogen. This ensures that you always assume the highest level of consistent precautions when working with anyone on your table. Karrie Osborn is senior editor at ABMP.