AOC Safety and Infection Control 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which disinfection level is required for instruments that contact intact mucous membranes but do not penetrate sterile tissue?
- Critical disinfection
- High-level disinfection (Correct answer)
- Intermediate-level disinfection
- Low-level disinfection
Correct answer: High-level disinfection
Instruments contacting intact mucous membranes (semi-critical items) require high-level disinfection to eliminate all microorganisms except high numbers of bacterial spores.
Question 2: When performing a confrontation visual field test, what infection control measure is most important?
- Wearing gloves throughout the exam
- Maintaining appropriate facial distance and using fresh occluder covers (Correct answer)
- Sterilizing the occluder between patients
- Using a UV light to disinfect the exam lane
Correct answer: Maintaining appropriate facial distance and using fresh occluder covers
Maintaining appropriate distance and using disposable or disinfected occluder covers prevents transmission of respiratory droplets and contact pathogens.
Question 3: A patient with active conjunctivitis arrives for an orthoptic evaluation. What is the most appropriate action?
- Proceed normally since conjunctivitis is self-limiting
- Use only disposable equipment and disinfect all contact surfaces after the visit (Correct answer)
- Reschedule the appointment until symptoms resolve
- Require the patient to wear a mask during testing
Correct answer: Use only disposable equipment and disinfect all contact surfaces after the visit
Using disposable equipment and thorough surface disinfection after the visit allows care to proceed while preventing spread to subsequent patients.
Question 4: What does the acronym PPE stand for in a clinical setting?
- Patient Protection Equipment
- Personal Protective Equipment (Correct answer)
- Preventive Pathogen Elimination
- Professional Practice Essentials
Correct answer: Personal Protective Equipment
PPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment, which includes gloves, masks, gowns, and eye protection used to protect healthcare workers from exposure to infectious agents.
Question 5: Which hepatitis virus is most efficiently transmitted through contact with infected blood or body fluids in a clinical setting?
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B (Correct answer)
- Hepatitis C
- Hepatitis E
Correct answer: Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B virus is significantly more infectious than HIV and hepatitis C when transmitted via needlestick or mucosal contact with infected blood.
Question 6: What is the correct order of steps when removing contaminated gloves?
- Grasp outside of one glove, peel off, slide fingers under remaining glove cuff, peel off (Correct answer)
- Pull fingers of both gloves down simultaneously then discard
- Use scissors to cut gloves off, then wash hands
- Remove one glove with bare hand, then use bare hand to remove the other
Correct answer: Grasp outside of one glove, peel off, slide fingers under remaining glove cuff, peel off
The correct technique keeps contaminated outer surfaces from touching bare skin: grasp the outside of one glove to peel it off, then slide clean fingers under the cuff of the remaining glove.
Question 7: In ophthalmic settings, which piece of equipment poses the greatest risk for transmitting adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis between patients?
- Phoropter
- Tonometer tip (Correct answer)
- Retinoscope
- Occluder
Correct answer: Tonometer tip
Tonometer tips directly contact the corneal surface and are a well-documented vector for adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis if not properly disinfected between patients.
AOC Safety and Infection Control 2
Which disinfection level is required for instruments that contact intact mucous membranes but do not penetrate sterile tissue?