Infection Control/Asepsis

When should healthcare workers wash their hands?

• Every 20 minutes

• At the beginning of the work day

• Only when they are visibly dirty

• Before providing care and between patients

How should a sterile package be handled?

• Place the package on the sterile field and open it with ungloved hands

• “Don non-sterile gloves, open the package and put the package wrapper on the sterile tray

• Don sterile gloves, open the package and pick items up out of the container

• Open with ungloved hands, but be careful not to touch the inside of the package

How does a pathogen get spread from one person to another person?

• Through an infectious, or causative, agent

• Through a portal of exit

• Through a mode of transmission

• Through the portal of entry

Hand washing and routine cleaning are examples of what type of practice?

• Safety

• Medical asepsis

• Surgical asepsis

• Sterile

Which of the following is NOT proper technique for a surgical scrub?

• Use a sterile surgical scrub brush.

• Remove jewelry

• Dry hands using a sterile towel

• Keep hands in a downward position

When cleaning up a surgical room, where should medical assistants place gauze pads used during the procedure?

• In a disinfectant soak

• In a plastic bag

• In a trash container in the room

• In a biohazard waste container

In a disinfectant soak” “In a plastic bag” “In a trash container in the room” Answer — “In a biohazard waste container”

• Hold sterile items below their waist.

• Touch the sterile items

• Hold sterile items away from their body

• Reach across the sterile tray

Kelsey, a medical assistant, is pouring a sterile solution into a cup on a sterile tray when a small amount of the solution spills onto the tray. What are the implications for this?

• If the spill is cleaned up quickly, the tray can still be used.

• The tray is contaminated and a new sterile field must be created.

• The tray remains sterile, even if it is a little wet.

What is the primary purpose of surgical asepsis?

• Destroy bacteria

• Keep a facility clean

• Limit the spread of pathogens

• Protect patients from infections during procedures

After surgery, what should medical assistants do with reusable instruments?

• Place them in a sharps or biohazard waste container

• Wipe them off and place them in a drawer

• Disinfect and place them in a plastic bag

• Soak and scrub them prior to autoclave sterilization