MDRAO Introduction 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the role of a 'point-of-use' treatment in medical device reprocessing?
- Final sterilization of instruments
- Immediate pre-cleaning to prevent soil from drying before full reprocessing (Correct answer)
- Packaging instruments after sterilization
- Quality control inspection of finished trays
Correct answer: Immediate pre-cleaning to prevent soil from drying before full reprocessing
Point-of-use treatment prevents bioburden from drying on instruments, making subsequent cleaning more effective.
Question 2: Which term describes the number of microorganisms on a device prior to sterilization?
- Sterility Assurance Level (SAL)
- Bioburden (Correct answer)
- Biological indicator
- Endotoxin load
Correct answer: Bioburden
Bioburden refers to the total number of viable microorganisms present on a device before sterilization.
Question 3: A Sterility Assurance Level (SAL) of 10⁻⁶ means:
- There is a 1 in 100 chance a device is non-sterile
- There is a 1 in 1,000,000 chance a device is non-sterile (Correct answer)
- Six organisms are present on the device
- The device has been sterilized six times
Correct answer: There is a 1 in 1,000,000 chance a device is non-sterile
SAL 10⁻⁶ means there is no more than a 1 in 1,000,000 probability that a single viable microorganism remains on the device.
Question 4: Which type of water is recommended for the final rinse of medical instruments prior to sterilization?
- Tap water
- Distilled or deionized water (Correct answer)
- Saline solution
- Chlorinated water
Correct answer: Distilled or deionized water
Distilled or deionized water is used for final rinsing to prevent mineral deposits and spotting on instruments.
Question 5: What is the primary hazard of inadequate cleaning before sterilization?
- Instrument corrosion only
- Organic material can protect microorganisms, preventing effective sterilization (Correct answer)
- Increased packaging costs
- Delayed sterilization cycle times
Correct answer: Organic material can protect microorganisms, preventing effective sterilization
Organic soil acts as a physical barrier that prevents sterilizing agents from reaching and killing all microorganisms.
Question 6: Which of the following is NOT a route of transmission that medical device reprocessing aims to prevent?
- Contact transmission
- Droplet transmission via contaminated instruments
- Vehicle transmission via contaminated instruments
- Genetic transmission (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Genetic transmission
Genetic transmission refers to hereditary passage of traits and is not related to medical device contamination.
Question 7: What does 'decontamination' specifically refer to in the reprocessing workflow?
- The sterilization of surgical trays
- The process of reducing microbial contamination to a safe level through cleaning and/or disinfection (Correct answer)
- Packaging devices in sterile wrap
- Testing biological indicators
Correct answer: The process of reducing microbial contamination to a safe level through cleaning and/or disinfection
Decontamination reduces the microbial load on items to a level safe for handling and further processing.
MDRAO Introduction 3
What is the role of a 'point-of-use' treatment in medical device reprocessing?