isolation
Meaning of isolation: Isolation refers to separating a person from others, whether for infection control purposes or as a broader social or psychological state.
Definition of isolation
Isolation refers to the state of being physically or socially separated from others. In infection control, isolation describes precautions taken to separate a person known or suspected to have a contagious illness from others, reducing the chance that an infectious organism spreads further, and the specific precautions used depend on how the organism is transmitted, such as through the air, respiratory droplets, or direct contact.
Isolation can also describe a broader social or psychological state in which a person has limited contact with others, whether by circumstance, illness, disability, or personal choice, and this form of isolation is recognized as a factor that can affect mental and physical health over time.
Because isolation carries both an infection control meaning and a broader social meaning, the surrounding context of a discussion generally indicates which sense is intended.
Used in a sentence
The patient was placed in isolation precautions while test results for the contagious infection were pending.
Good to know
Isolation used for infection control is a deliberate, typically temporary precaution, distinct from social isolation, a broader and often longer lasting state that is separately recognized as a factor affecting health.
Word origin
Where “isolation” comes from
Formed from Latin insula, meaning island, by way of French isole, describing a state of being set apart, as an island is set apart from the mainland.