CMT - Certified Medical Technician Infection Control Practices Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A Certified Medical Technician (CMT) is preparing to assist a resident with a dressing change for a wound with a large amount of drainage. According to Standard Precautions, which combination of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is MOST appropriate for the CMT to wear?
- Gloves and gown (Correct answer)
- Gloves and face shield
- Gown and mask only
- Gloves only
Correct answer: Gloves and gown
Standard Precautions require wearing gloves when contact with blood, body fluids, or non-intact skin is possible. A gown is necessary to protect skin and clothing from splashes or sprays of body fluids, which is likely with a heavily draining wound. A mask and face shield would be needed if splashes to the face were anticipated, but gloves and a gown are the most essential items in this scenario.
Question 2: Which of the following practices is the most effective way to break the 'mode of transmission' link in the chain of infection?
- Administering antibiotics to an infected person
- Placing a resident in a private room
- Performing proper hand hygiene (Correct answer)
- Ensuring staff and residents are vaccinated
Correct answer: Performing proper hand hygiene
The 'mode of transmission' is how an infectious agent travels from a reservoir to a susceptible host. Performing consistent and proper hand hygiene is the single most effective way to prevent the transmission of pathogens, directly interrupting this link in the chain. While other options are valid infection control measures, they primarily target other links in the chain (e.g., vaccination for the susceptible host, antibiotics for the infectious agent).
Question 3: When performing hand hygiene with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, the CMT should rub their hands together until when?
- For at least 10 seconds
- The hands feel completely dry (Correct answer)
- The foam has disappeared
- A sticky feeling develops
Correct answer: The hands feel completely dry
According to the CDC, when using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, you should apply the product to the palm of one hand and rub your hands together, covering all surfaces of your hands and fingers, until your hands are dry. This typically takes about 20 seconds and ensures the sanitizer has had enough contact time to be effective.
Question 4: A CMT is cleaning a resident's room after they have been discharged. The resident had a known infection with Clostridioides difficile (C. diff). Which type of product is essential for cleaning the environmental surfaces?
- A standard alcohol-based sanitizer
- An ammonia-based cleaning solution
- A quaternary ammonium compound
- A bleach-based disinfectant or other sporicidal agent (Correct answer)
Correct answer: A bleach-based disinfectant or other sporicidal agent
Clostridioides difficile forms spores that are resistant to standard disinfectants, including alcohol-based hand rubs and some hospital-grade cleaners. Therefore, a sporicidal agent, such as a bleach-based disinfectant, is required to effectively kill the spores and decontaminate the environment.
Question 5: The practice of reducing the number of microorganisms and preventing their spread is known as which of the following?
- Surgical asepsis
- Sterilization
- Medical asepsis (Correct answer)
- Disinfection
Correct answer: Medical asepsis
Medical asepsis, also known as the 'clean technique', involves practices that reduce the number of microorganisms and prevent their transfer. This includes procedures like handwashing and cleaning the environment. Surgical asepsis ('sterile technique') aims to eliminate all microorganisms.
Question 6: A CMT accidentally sustains a needlestick injury with a used lancet after performing a blood glucose check. What is the immediate, priority action the CMT should take?
- Squeeze the puncture site to encourage bleeding.
- Immediately report the incident to the supervisor.
- Wash the area thoroughly with soap and water. (Correct answer)
- Apply a sterile bandage and continue with duties.
Correct answer: Wash the area thoroughly with soap and water.
The immediate priority after a needlestick or sharps injury is to clean the exposed area. The CDC recommends washing the wound with soap and water. After cleaning the wound, the incident should be reported immediately to a supervisor to ensure proper follow-up and post-exposure prophylaxis can be initiated if necessary.
CMT - Certified Medical Technician Infection Control Practices Questions and Answers 1
A Certified Medical Technician (CMT) is preparing to assist a resident with a dressing change for a wound with a large amount of drainage.
According to Standard Precautions, which combination of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is MOST appropriate for the CMT to wear?