What type of precaution should be employed for contact diseases?

For contact diseases, the appropriate precautions involve using a gown and gloves. This is because contact precautions are designed to prevent the transmission of infectious agents that can spread through direct or indirect contact with the patient or their environment.

Wearing a gown serves to protect the healthcare worker's clothing and skin from potentially contaminated surfaces or materials. Gloves are essential for minimizing skin contact with infectious agents, thereby helping to prevent the spread of pathogens. Together, these two pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) provide a comprehensive barrier against contact transmission, ensuring both patient and healthcare worker safety.

While other precautions that involve varying combinations of masks and gloves may be suitable for different types of infectious diseases — such as respiratory or droplet-transmitted infections — they do not address the specific needs of contact diseases, where direct physical interaction or contamination through surfaces is of primary concern.