- Certified Medical Device Reprocessing Technician Infection Prevention and Control Questions and Answers Flashcards

What is the chain of infection, and why is it important in medical device reprocessing?

Answer: A model describing the six links required for infection transmission: infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host

The chain of infection describes the six elements needed for disease transmission. Medical device reprocessing breaks this chain by eliminating the infectious agent on devices (reservoir) and preventing contaminated instruments from becoming a mode of transmission.

What are routine practices (formerly universal precautions) in the context of infection prevention?

Answer: A set of infection prevention measures applied to ALL patients and situations regardless of known infection status

Routine practices are applied universally because any patient may carry undiagnosed infections. In reprocessing, this means treating all instruments as potentially contaminated and following full decontamination protocols regardless of the patient's known infection status.

What role does hand hygiene play in infection prevention for reprocessing technicians?

Answer: It is the single most effective measure for preventing the transmission of healthcare-associated infections

Hand hygiene — through handwashing with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub — is recognized worldwide as the most effective single measure to prevent healthcare-associated infection transmission, including in reprocessing departments.

What are healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and how does reprocessing help prevent them?

Answer: Infections acquired during or as a result of healthcare delivery that were not present at the time of admission

HAIs are infections that patients acquire during their healthcare experience. Improperly reprocessed medical devices are a recognized source of HAIs, making effective reprocessing a critical infection prevention strategy.

What are additional precautions, and when are they implemented in the reprocessing department?

Answer: Infection-specific measures (contact, droplet, airborne) added on top of routine practices when a patient is known or suspected to have a transmissible infection

Additional precautions supplement routine practices when a specific transmissible infection is identified. In reprocessing, this may mean enhanced PPE, dedicated reprocessing equipment, or specific handling protocols for instruments used on patients under additional precautions.

What is the significance of prion diseases (such as CJD) for medical device reprocessing?

Answer: Prions are abnormal proteins that are extremely resistant to standard disinfection and sterilization methods, requiring special reprocessing protocols

Prions are misfolded proteins that cause fatal neurological diseases and are extraordinarily resistant to conventional disinfection and sterilization methods. Instruments potentially contaminated with prions require special reprocessing protocols or may need to be destroyed.