An infection preventionist is alerted to an unusually high number of patients presenting to the emergency department with severe respiratory symptoms. What step should be taken first?

• A. Isolate the patients
• B. Notify the infection preventionist
• C. Collect specimens for testing
• D. Begin broad-spectrum antibiotics for all patients

Answer: (A)

The priority is to stop transmission now. When a sudden cluster of severe respiratory illness appears, the first action is to immediately place the patients under appropriate isolation precautions and ensure staff use the correct PPE. This containment step reduces the chance that a contagious pathogen spreads to other patients and healthcare workers while you assess the situation, identify the likely cause, and coordinate the response.

Isolation buys you time to conduct testing and collaborate with public health without allowing the outbreak to grow. After precautions are in place, you can proceed with notifying the infection prevention team and public health authorities, collecting specimens for testing, and starting targeted treatment if indicated. Starting broad-spectrum antibiotics for all patients isn’t appropriate without evidence of bacterial infection and could do more harm than good.