Final answer:
a. wearing a HEPA filter mask. The correct answer is wearing a HEPA filter mask. This is the most effective way to protect against droplet transmission.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer is a. wearing a HEPA filter mask.
A droplet precaution is a measure taken to prevent the spread of respiratory droplets, which are small particles that are expelled from the mouth or nose when a person coughs, sneezes, talks, or breathes. These droplets can contain infectious pathogens, such as bacteria or viruses. Wearing a HEPA filter mask is an effective way to protect against droplet transmission because HEPA filters can remove particles as small as 0.3 micrometers, which includes most respiratory droplets.
Wearing a standard surgical mask can also provide some level of protection against droplet transmission, but it may not be as effective as a HEPA filter mask. Surgical masks are designed to protect against larger droplets and splashes, but they may not filter out smaller particles like a HEPA filter can.
Keeping the room at negative pressure is not specifically a droplet precaution. Negative pressure rooms are often used in healthcare settings to prevent the spread of airborne pathogens, such as tuberculosis or measles. In a negative pressure room, air is constantly being pulled out of the room, creating a pressure gradient that prevents contaminated air from flowing out into other areas.
In summary, wearing a HEPA filter mask is the most effective droplet precaution among the options given.