CCMA Infection Control and Sterilization 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient with active pulmonary tuberculosis is being admitted. Which type of isolation precautions should be implemented?
- Contact precautions
- Droplet precautions
- Airborne precautions (Correct answer)
- Protective precautions
Correct answer: Airborne precautions
Tuberculosis is transmitted via airborne droplet nuclei, requiring airborne precautions including a negative-pressure room and N95 respirator.
Question 2: Which chemical indicator is used to verify that steam sterilization conditions were adequate inside a wrapped pack?
- Bowie-Dick test
- Internal chemical integrator (Correct answer)
- Biological spore indicator
- External tape indicator
Correct answer: Internal chemical integrator
An internal chemical integrator placed inside the pack responds to all critical sterilization parameters (time, temperature, steam) to verify adequate exposure.
Question 3: When performing a wound dressing change using sterile technique, the medical assistant accidentally touches the sterile field with a bare hand. What is the correct action?
- Continue the procedure using gloves
- Wipe the contaminated area with alcohol
- Discard the field and set up a new sterile field (Correct answer)
- Cover the contaminated area with a sterile drape
Correct answer: Discard the field and set up a new sterile field
Any break in sterile technique contaminates the entire field; the field must be discarded and a completely new sterile setup must be established.
Question 4: Which of the following pathogens is most resistant to standard disinfection and sterilization methods, requiring special decontamination protocols?
- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
- Clostridium difficile spores (Correct answer)
- Hepatitis B virus
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Correct answer: Clostridium difficile spores
C. difficile spores are highly resistant to alcohol-based hand sanitizers and many disinfectants, requiring soap and water hand hygiene and sporicidal agents like bleach.
Question 5: A medical assistant is processing reusable instruments after a procedure. What is the correct order of steps?
- Sterilize → Clean → Disinfect → Rinse
- Clean → Rinse → Disinfect → Sterilize (Correct answer)
- Disinfect → Clean → Rinse → Sterilize
- Rinse → Sterilize → Clean → Disinfect
Correct answer: Clean → Rinse → Disinfect → Sterilize
Instruments must be cleaned and rinsed first to remove organic debris before disinfection or sterilization can be effective.
Question 6: Which of the following is an example of a fomite in the healthcare setting?
- Respiratory droplets from a coughing patient
- A contaminated blood pressure cuff (Correct answer)
- Airborne fungal spores
- Direct contact with an infected wound
Correct answer: A contaminated blood pressure cuff
A fomite is an inanimate object that can harbor and transmit infectious agents; a contaminated blood pressure cuff is a classic example.
Question 7: After using an autoclave, the biological indicator results show growth after incubation. What does this mean?
- The autoclave reached adequate temperature
- The sterilization cycle failed and affected items must be recalled (Correct answer)
- The indicator was improperly placed in the load
- Growth is expected and items are still safe to use
Correct answer: The sterilization cycle failed and affected items must be recalled
Bacterial spore growth in a biological indicator confirms sterilization failure; all items from that load must be recalled and reprocessed.
CCMA Infection Control and Sterilization 4
A patient with active pulmonary tuberculosis is being admitted.
Which type of isolation precautions should be implemented?