Safety and Infection Control Flashcards
7 cards from real ASPT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Safety and Infection Control flashcards as text
What is the recommended minimum duration for scrubbing hands with soap and water to achieve effective hand hygiene?
Answer: 20 seconds
CDC guidelines recommend scrubbing all hand surfaces with soap and water for at least 20 seconds to effectively reduce microbial load.
A patient with varicella (chickenpox) requires which combination of isolation precautions?
Answer: Airborne and contact precautions
Varicella spreads via both airborne droplet nuclei and direct contact with vesicular lesions, so both airborne and contact precautions are required simultaneously.
Which of the following is a work practice control for reducing bloodborne pathogen exposure?
Answer: Never pipetting blood by mouth
Never pipetting blood by mouth is a work practice control — a behavioral change in how tasks are performed — rather than an engineering or PPE control.
The hepatitis B vaccination series is recommended for phlebotomy students and new employees because hepatitis B virus (HBV):
Answer: Can survive on environmental surfaces for up to 7 days
HBV is highly stable and can survive on dry environmental surfaces at room temperature for at least 7 days, making occupational exposure risk significant without vaccination.
A phlebotomist collects blood from a patient on droplet precautions due to influenza. Which PPE must be worn at minimum?
Answer: Gloves and a surgical mask
Droplet precautions require a surgical mask (in addition to Standard Precautions such as gloves) when working within 3 feet of the patient; an N95 is only required for airborne precautions.
Which of the following actions constitutes improper handling of a full sharps container?
Answer: Manually pushing needles down to make more room
Manually compressing contents of a sharps container is extremely dangerous and strictly prohibited because it can cause needlestick injuries from protruding sharps.
In the context of infection control, what does 'susceptible host' mean?
Answer: An individual whose immune defenses cannot prevent infection if exposed
A susceptible host is a person who lacks sufficient immunity (due to age, illness, immunosuppression, or other factors) to resist infection if exposed to a pathogen.