A healthcare worker presents with a red, inflamed eye with drainage. What work restriction is recommended?

• A. Return to work when all symptoms have subsided.
• B. Return after 24 hours of antibiotic therapy.
• C. No work restrictions are needed.
• D. Work restrictions for 7 days regardless of symptoms.

Answer: (A)

When assessing infection control in a healthcare setting, the key idea is to prevent transmission from a worker who has an infectious condition to patients and coworkers. Red, inflamed eyes with drainage point to conjunctivitis, which can be contagious. The safest and most consistent approach is to allow a return to work only after all signs and symptoms have resolved, because that marks the period when the likelihood of spreading the infection is greatly reduced. Antibiotics may help some cases improve, but they do not guarantee that contagiousness has ended, and some discharge or redness can persist even as someone feels better.

Returning after specific fixed timeframes or with just antibiotic therapy can either miss ongoing contagiousness or be unnecessarily restrictive, which is not as protective for patients. So the best choice is to return to work once the symptoms have subsided.