Infection Control & Sanitation Flashcards
7 cards from real CMI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Infection Control & Sanitation flashcards as text
What is biofilm, and why is it significant for infection control in cleaning programs?
Answer: A community of microorganisms encased in a protective matrix that adheres to surfaces, making pathogens harder to kill
Biofilms are colonies of bacteria encased in a self-produced polysaccharide matrix that adhere to surfaces and can be up to 1,000 times more resistant to disinfectants than free-floating (planktonic) bacteria.
What does ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) testing measure in the context of infection control?
Answer: The amount of organic biological residue remaining on a surface after cleaning
ATP testing uses bioluminescence to detect organic material (including bacteria, food residue, and body fluids) on surfaces, providing a rapid, objective measure of surface cleanliness after cleaning.
When hands are visibly soiled, which hand hygiene method does the CDC recommend?
Answer: Washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
The CDC specifies that visibly soiled hands must be washed with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, because alcohol-based sanitizers are not effective at removing physical soil or certain pathogens like C. diff spores.
A nosocomial infection is defined as an infection that:
Answer: Is acquired by a patient during their stay in a healthcare facility
A nosocomial (healthcare-associated) infection is one that a patient acquires while receiving care in a hospital or other healthcare facility, and environmental cleaning plays a critical role in preventing their spread.
Which of the following practices BEST prevents pathogen transfer when cleaning a restroom with multiple stalls?
Answer: Clean from the least soiled areas (e.g., mirrors, counters) to the most soiled areas (e.g., toilets, floors)
Cleaning from least-soiled to most-soiled areas (clean-to-dirty) prevents pathogens from being transported from high-contamination zones like toilets to lower-contamination zones like counters and mirrors.
What is the purpose of a two-bucket mopping system in infection control?
Answer: To keep one bucket for the cleaning solution and one for rinsing the mop, reducing recontamination of floors
The two-bucket system uses one bucket for clean solution and a second for wringing the soiled mop, preventing dirty water from being spread back onto cleaned floor surfaces and reducing cross-contamination.
Under the CMI infection control framework, which statement BEST describes the hierarchy of cleaning for an occupied healthcare or institutional facility?
Answer: Cleaning priority and disinfection level should be based on the risk of infection transmission for each area
CMI and infection control best practices prescribe a risk-based approach where cleaning frequency, methods, and disinfection levels are matched to the actual infection transmission risk of each area or surface.