Short answer: Infection control standard precautions for the DHA exam are the basic measures you use with every patient: hand hygiene, PPE based on risk, respiratory hygiene, safe sharps handling, cleaning and safe waste disposal. Scenario questions test whether you choose them early and add transmission-based precautions only when the route needs it.
Infection control standard precautions for the DHA exam: what they are
Standard precautions apply to every patient, whatever the diagnosis, because you cannot tell who is infectious by looking. Most guidelines group them into the same parts. This guide takes the scenario angle. The older infection control revision guide lists transmission routes in more detail.
Meddex is independent and is not connected to the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) or Prometric. We cannot confirm which guideline the exam follows, so learn the shared principles and check the facts at your own workplace.
This is exam-preparation revision, not clinical guidance. In practice, follow your own organisation’s policies and the current guideline, and check doses and thresholds against them.
The parts of standard precautions
Learn the list as one sentence you can say aloud.
- Hand hygiene at the right moments.
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) chosen by the task and the risk of contact with blood, body fluids or broken skin.
- Respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette.
- Safe handling of sharps and no recapping of used needles.
- Cleaning and disinfection of equipment and the environment.
- Safe handling of linen and waste.
- Aseptic technique for procedures.
Hand hygiene: the five moments
The World Health Organization describes five moments: before touching a patient, before a clean or aseptic procedure, after body fluid exposure risk, after touching a patient and after touching the patient’s surroundings. Alcohol-based rub is the usual choice. Use soap and water when hands are visibly dirty and when caring for a patient with C. difficile or norovirus, because alcohol does not reliably remove those organisms.
Exam questions often hide a moment inside a story. A nurse finishes a dressing and moves to the next bed. Both moments 3 and 4 apply.
PPE: choose by risk, then put on and take off in order
Choose PPE for the task, not the diagnosis. Expected splash needs eye protection. Contact with body fluids needs gloves and a gown or apron. A common order to put on is gown, mask or respirator, eye protection, then gloves. Removal orders differ a little between guidelines, so follow the one in the question. The shared principle is that the most contaminated items come off first, hands are cleaned and the mask comes off late.
Gloves do not replace hand hygiene. Change them between patients and between tasks on the same patient.
When standard precautions are not enough
Add transmission-based precautions for known or suspected routes. Contact precautions suit organisms spread by touch, such as MRSA. Droplet precautions suit larger respiratory droplets, with a surgical mask. Airborne precautions suit tuberculosis, measles and chickenpox, with a single room that has controlled airflow and a fitted respirator. A patient with a new fever and rash is usually isolated while the cause is clarified. The rule is to start the precaution that matches the likely route, then confirm.
Example: a sharps injury
Example, written by Meddex. A nurse pricks a finger on a used needle. Best actions in order: let the wound bleed gently, wash it with soap and running water, do not squeeze or scrub, then report straight away so that exposure assessment and follow-up can start. Recapping, ignoring it until the end of the shift or sucking the wound are wrong. Safe disposal of the needle at the point of use prevents the event.
Traps in infection control questions
Four traps repeat. Options that skip hand hygiene. Options that isolate a patient for no reason, which can harm dignity. Options that mix up droplet and airborne precautions. Options that treat gloves as a cure-all. Read the stem for the route of spread, then match. See the hand hygiene and PPE flashcards to practise the sequences.
Cleaning, waste and linen in a scenario
Some stems ask what to do with items after use. Single-use items are discarded and never reused. Reusable equipment is cleaned and then disinfected or sterilised according to the risk, as the earlier guide explains. Spills of blood or body fluid are cleaned with the method your organisation sets, wearing gloves and a gown or apron, and the area is then disinfected. Soiled linen is bagged at the point of use and not shaken. Waste goes in the correct coloured container, and sharps go in a rigid container that is closed when it is about three-quarters full.
You will also see the same topic written as standard precautions in nursing, infection prevention and control questions or the DHA nursing infection control questions. Read the stem for who is at risk, which route is involved and which step comes next.
Related guide
For transmission-based precautions, hand hygiene, PPE order and sterilisation in one revision guide, see infection control for the DHA exam.
Frequently asked questions
This article is general educational guidance, not official advice. Exam rules, fees and timelines are set by the Dubai Health Authority and the test provider and can change, so always confirm the latest details on their official channels.
Last updated .