Introduction Flashcards
7 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 7 Introduction flashcards as text
Who bears the ultimate responsibility for ensuring reprocessed medical devices are safe for patient use in a healthcare facility?
Answer: The healthcare organization and its reprocessing department leadership
The healthcare organization bears ultimate responsibility for the safe reprocessing of medical devices used in their facility.
Which of the following best describes 'semi-critical' items in the Spaulding Classification?
Answer: Items that contact mucous membranes or non-intact skin
Semi-critical items contact mucous membranes or non-intact skin and require at minimum high-level disinfection.
What is the significance of tracking lot numbers and sterilization records in medical device reprocessing?
Answer: To enable a recall in the event of a sterilization failure
Lot tracking enables identification and recall of potentially non-sterile items if a sterilization process failure is discovered.
Which personal protective equipment (PPE) is specifically required when handling contaminated instruments in the decontamination area?
Answer: Heavy-duty puncture-resistant gloves, gown, eye protection, and mask
Heavy-duty puncture-resistant gloves and full barrier PPE are required to protect staff from sharps injuries and exposure to bloodborne pathogens.
What is the purpose of a biological indicator (BI) in sterilization monitoring?
Answer: To confirm the sterilization process killed the most resistant microorganisms
Biological indicators use highly resistant spore-forming bacteria to confirm the sterilization process achieved the required lethality.
In Ontario, which act provides the legislative framework governing occupational health and safety in healthcare workplaces, including reprocessing areas?
Answer: The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA)
Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act establishes rights and duties to protect workers, including those in medical device reprocessing.
What is the key difference between disinfection and sterilization?
Answer: Sterilization destroys all microorganisms including spores; disinfection does not eliminate all spores
Sterilization destroys all forms of microbial life including bacterial spores, while disinfection eliminates most but not necessarily all spores.