Airborne Precaution Supply Readiness

Key Points

• Airborne-precaution rooms require immediate PPE availability at point of care.
• Missing mask supplies must be corrected before anyone enters the room.
• Early supply correction is a direct safety action that reduces exposure risk for staff and patients.

Equipment

• Airborne-precaution signage at room entry
• Required respiratory protection supply (for example N95 stock per facility protocol)
• PPE cart or supply station with replacement stock
• Unit process for urgent restocking and escalation

Procedure Steps

1. Identify airborne-precaution status from isolation signage and handoff information.
2. Perform a pre-entry supply check at the room threshold.
3. Verify required respiratory PPE is present, accessible, and sufficient for expected entries.
4. If essential PPE is missing, stop room entry workflow.
5. Restock required PPE immediately from approved unit supply source.
6. Confirm replacement stock is visible and ready before staff or visitors enter.
7. Communicate supply restoration to team members during shift workflow.
8. Continue patient care only after airborne-precaution barriers are fully in place.
9. Document recurrent supply gaps through unit safety channels for system improvement.

Common Errors

• Entering airborne-precaution room before PPE restock → increased exposure risk to staff and other patients.
• Assuming another team member will restock → delayed correction and safety gaps.
• Failing to communicate supply deficit → repeated unsafe entry attempts.
• Skipping threshold check during busy handoff periods → preventable infection-control failures.

Related

• personal-protective-equipment - Correct PPE type and availability are core infection-control barriers.
• transmission-based-precautions - Airborne precautions require strict entry preparation and adherence.