CSPT - Compounded Sterile Preparation Technician Infection Control and Microbiology Questions and Answers Flashcards

What is the primary purpose of environmental monitoring in a sterile compounding facility?

Answer: To detect microbial contamination in the compounding environment

Environmental monitoring identifies microbial contamination trends in the air and on surfaces so corrective actions can be taken before products are affected.

Which ISO classification represents the most stringent (cleanest) air quality standard used in sterile compounding?

Answer: ISO 5

ISO 5 permits no more than 3,520 particles ≥0.5 microns per cubic meter and is required for the critical zone where products are compounded.

Active air sampling in a cleanroom is used to measure:

Answer: Colony-forming units (CFUs) per cubic meter of air

Active air samplers draw a known volume of air over culture media to quantify viable microbial counts expressed as CFUs per cubic meter.

Glove fingertip sampling (fingertip testing) is performed to:

Answer: Verify that personnel gloving and gowning technique does not introduce contamination

Fingertip testing checks whether the technician's gloves carry microbial contamination after gowning, confirming that hand hygiene and gloving procedures were effective.

What is the correct cleaning progression when disinfecting a sterile compounding suite?

Answer: Anteroom → buffer room → ISO 5 area (least to most critical)

Cleaning should proceed from least critical (anteroom) to most critical (ISO 5 zone) to avoid tracking contamination into cleaner areas.

When environmental monitoring results exceed established action levels, the correct initial response is to:

Answer: Investigate the root cause, re-clean, and retest the area before resuming compounding

USP requires a documented investigation and remediation before compounding resumes when action levels are exceeded.