What are EMS personnel responsible for regarding infection control?

• A. To ignore infection control guidelines to speed transport.
• B. To follow guidelines for infection control to protect themselves and patients.
• C. To rely on hospital staff to implement all infection controls.
• D. Infection control applies only in hospitals, not EMS.

Answer: (B)

Infection control is about protecting both you and the patient by consistently following established guidelines and using the right protective equipment. In EMS, this means practicing standard precautions—wearing gloves for any patient contact, using masks or eye protection when there’s a risk of splashes or aerosols, donning gowns if contamination is likely, and performing thorough hand hygiene before and after patient contact. It also includes cleaning and disinfecting equipment and surfaces that providers touch, safely disposing of waste, and staying up to date with vaccinations and post-exposure procedures. This approach reduces the chance of transmitting infections in the field, where exposure risk can be high and environments are not always controlled like a hospital.

Choosing to ignore infection control guidelines would raise the risk of spreading infections to patients and coworkers and could put you at greater risk of acquiring an illness. Relying entirely on hospital staff to manage infection controls isn’t practical because EMS providers deliver care outside the hospital and must implement precautions in the field. And infection control isn’t limited to hospitals; it applies wherever care is given, including in ambulances and other prehospital settings.