Isolation precautions are the techniques applied to the patient because of his or her condition to safeguard other hospitalized patients and their near environment. The objective of isolation precautions is to decrease or eliminate direct or indirect transmission of microorganisms in hospitals.

The outbreak of HIV, hepatitis B and C, and resistant pathogens causes the need for isolation techniques.

The adequate choice of a transmission-based isolation precaution is of fundamental importance, as well as the compliance with regulations concerning healthcare workers and patients’ families. Although is their actual cost-effectiveness is yet to be assessed, the rate of transmission decreases significantly when the appropriated isolation measures are used.