During unit construction, if a negative air-pressure barrier is mislocated, what is the proper procedure when transferring a patient with active or suspected TB?

• A. The room should be set up to indicate it has negative air pressure, the door should be closed, and the patient and staff should be masked during patient transport, which should occur along the shortest route possible.
• B. Transfer without any special precautions.
• C. Open all doors to ventilate the area during transport.
• D. Ignore the barrier type during transport.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is maintaining containment of airborne TB during patient transport, even if the barrier setup isn’t perfect. Negative air pressure in the room helps keep contaminated air from escaping to other areas by drawing air into the room rather than letting it flow out. If the barrier position is off, you still want the environment to clearly show it’s under negative pressure, so everyone treats the space as a containment zone. Keeping the door closed preserves that pressure gradient and minimizes air leakage. Having the patient and staff wear masks reduces the emission and inhalation of infectious aerosols during movement. Choosing the shortest route minimizes exposure time and reduces crossing through other areas, lowering the risk to others.

Transport without precautions would put people at risk, opening all doors would disrupt the negative-pressure containment and spread aerosols, and ignoring the barrier type neglects essential infection-control measures for airborne pathogens.