Infection Prevention and Control Flashcards
6 cards from real MDRAO practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Infection Prevention and Control flashcards as text
What is the Spaulding Classification system, and how does it determine the level of disinfection or sterilization required for medical devices?
Answer: A three-tier classification (critical, semi-critical, non-critical) that categorizes medical devices by their risk of infection transmission based on intended use
The Spaulding Classification categorizes medical devices into critical, semi-critical, and non-critical based on their intended use and associated infection risk, determining whether sterilization or different levels of disinfection are required.
What is the distinction between sterilization and high-level disinfection (HLD)?
Answer: Sterilization kills ALL microorganisms including bacterial spores; HLD kills most microorganisms but may not eliminate all bacterial spores
Sterilization achieves complete elimination of all viable microorganisms including bacterial spores. High-level disinfection kills most microorganisms including Mycobacterium tuberculosis and viruses, but may not eliminate all bacterial spores.
What does 'standard precautions' mean in the context of the CSSD decontamination area?
Answer: A minimum set of infection prevention practices (including hand hygiene, PPE, safe sharps handling) applied to ALL patients regardless of infection status
Standard precautions are the minimum level of infection prevention applied to all patients/all instruments regardless of known or suspected infection status — based on the assumption that all blood, body fluids, and instruments are potentially infectious.
What is the role of hand hygiene in preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in the sterile processing department?
Answer: Hand hygiene is the single most effective measure to prevent cross-contamination and the spread of HAIs in all healthcare settings including CSSD
Hand hygiene remains the most effective measure to prevent HAIs and must be practiced at all the 4 Moments in all healthcare areas including CSSD — including after removing gloves, as gloves may have microscopic defects.
Which of the following transmission-based precautions requires the use of an N95 respirator by healthcare workers?
Answer: Airborne precautions for active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB)
Airborne precautions — required for diseases transmitted by airborne nuclei such as active pulmonary TB, measles, and varicella — mandate N95 or higher respirators rather than standard surgical masks.
What is a prion, and why do prion-contaminated instruments present a unique challenge for standard reprocessing protocols?
Answer: Prions are misfolded proteins that cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., CJD) and are extraordinarily resistant to all standard sterilization and disinfection methods
Prions are abnormal misfolded proteins that cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). They are uniquely resistant to standard sterilization, disinfection, UV radiation, and even incineration in some cases.