South Dakota State University
Athletic Training Program
Communicable Disease Policy & Procedure
In an effort to educate about the potential risk of communicable disease and protect the health
and safety of the SDSU athletic training faculty, staff, and students the following control policies
have been established. This policy was developed using recommendations established by the
Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Prevention and Management of Staph Infections
Maintaining good personal hygiene and avoiding contact with drainage from skin lesions are the
best methods for prevention. Others include:
1. Wash your hands often or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
2. Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with bandages
3. Do not touch other people’s cuts or bandages
4. Do not share personal items like towels or razors
5. Maintain clean facilities and equipment
6. Utilize universal precautions when functioning within a clinical experience setting and/or
working with potential sources of communicable disease.
Policy and Procedures
1. Wash your hands often with soap and warm water or alcohol based hand sanitizer. This
should be completed after each contact whether in the athletic training classroom or
clinical experience.
2. Universal precautions are required when handling any bodily fluid or potential sources of
communicable disease. Proper disposal is also required.
3. A student who has been exposed to a possible hazard during classroom, clinical
experience, or personal time should report the exposure to their respective clinical
instructor or faculty member.
4. All open wounds should be covered with clean, dry dressings.
5. If a student shows signs of infection or communicable disease that may place
themselves or others at risk, the student needs to be seen by a Health Care provider to
gain proper diagnosis and treatment intervention.
6. Information regarding diagnosis and intervention needs to be clearly communicated to
the Athletic Training Faculty and Preceptor. Clinical experience schedules can be
modified based on individual circumstances.
7. The student maintains the responsibility to contact the Office of Student Affairs so that
an official notice can be sent to faculty and advisor if the student is required to miss
extended class time. (The Office of Student Affairs – 605-688-4493).
Delimitations for students: Communicable Disease Control Measures: Guidelines for Exclusion:
Students should be excluded from clinical experience if they exhibit:
• Fever greater than 100.5;
• Vomiting;
• Stiff neck or headache with fever;
• Any rash with or without fever;
• Unusual behavior change, such as irritability, lethargy, or somnolence;
• Jaundice (yellow color or skin or eyes);
• Diarrhea (3 watery or loose stools in one day with or without fever);
• Skin lesions that are “weepy” (fluid or pus-filled);
• Colored drainage from eyes;
• Brown/green drainage from nose with fever of greater than 100.5 F;
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath; serious, sustained cough;
• Symptoms or complaints that prevent the student from participating in his/her
usual clinical experience, such as persistent cough, with or without presence of
fever.
References:
http://www.cdc.gov/hicpac/pdf/isolation/Isolation2007.pdf
http://www.ode.state.or.us/groups/supportstaff/hklb/schoolnurses/commdisease.pdf