Which precaution is MOST appropriate when treating a patient with a known history of hepatitis C?

Correct answer: D. Apply standard precautions exactly as for every other patient, with heightened attention to sharps handling during invasive procedures

• A. A face shield does NOT replace a mask. Shields protect against splatter but leave the sides open and provide no filtration; both are worn together when splatter is anticipated.
• B. Double gloving has a role in some surgical settings but is not the defining precaution for hepatitis C, and it is not a substitute for standard precautions.
• C. Clinical contact surfaces require INTERMEDIATE-level (tuberculocidal, EPA-registered hospital) disinfectant. High-level disinfection is reserved for heat-sensitive SEMI-CRITICAL instruments — applying it to surfaces reflects a misunderstanding of the Spaulding classification.
• D. CORRECT. STANDARD PRECAUTIONS are applied to EVERY patient regardless of known infection status, precisely because most blood-borne infections are undiagnosed at the time of treatment. A disclosed hepatitis C history changes nothing about the required protocol — it simply reinforces meticulous SHARPS handling, since percutaneous injury is the realistic transmission route and there is no post-exposure prophylaxis or vaccine for HCV.

Note: The central principle: treating a known-positive patient differently is both clinically unnecessary and ethically problematic. Standard precautions exist because you cannot know who is infected. Note that unlike HBV, hepatitis C has NO vaccine and NO post-exposure prophylaxis — report any sharps injury immediately, as modern antivirals cure the great majority of infections.