Which of the following is not a standard precaution recommended by the CDC?

The standard precautions recommended by the CDC are designed to protect healthcare personnel and patients from the transmission of infections. Among these, hand hygiene is a critical practice to prevent the spread of pathogens. Safe injection practices ensure that injections are performed safely to avoid contamination and transmission of infectious diseases. Environmental cleaning is also a standard precaution, focusing on maintaining a clean and safe healthcare environment to reduce the risk of infection.

Prescribing antibiotics, however, is not classified as a standard precaution. While antibiotics play a crucial role in treating bacterial infections, their use is not a precautionary measure aimed at preventing infection transmission. Instead, it is a therapeutic intervention that should be guided by diagnostic findings and the principles of antimicrobial stewardship. Therefore, it does not fall under the standard precautions that are primarily concerned with infection prevention strategies rather than treatment protocols.