MDRAO Introduction 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Who bears the ultimate responsibility for ensuring reprocessed medical devices are safe for patient use in a healthcare facility?
- The device manufacturer
- The sterilization technician alone
- The healthcare organization and its reprocessing department leadership (Correct answer)
- Health Canada inspectors
Correct 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.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes 'semi-critical' items in the Spaulding Classification?
- Items that enter sterile body cavities
- Items that contact mucous membranes or non-intact skin (Correct answer)
- Items that touch only intact skin
- Items stored in sterile packaging
Correct 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.
Question 3: What is the significance of tracking lot numbers and sterilization records in medical device reprocessing?
- To calculate equipment depreciation
- To enable a recall in the event of a sterilization failure (Correct answer)
- To satisfy WHMIS labelling requirements
- To monitor employee performance only
Correct 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.
Question 4: Which personal protective equipment (PPE) is specifically required when handling contaminated instruments in the decontamination area?
- Only a lab coat
- Heavy-duty puncture-resistant gloves, gown, eye protection, and mask (Correct answer)
- Standard latex examination gloves only
- Only a face shield
Correct 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.
Question 5: What is the purpose of a biological indicator (BI) in sterilization monitoring?
- To measure instrument cleanliness
- To confirm the sterilization process killed the most resistant microorganisms (Correct answer)
- To detect chemical residues on instruments
- To measure sterilizer temperature only
Correct 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.
Question 6: In Ontario, which act provides the legislative framework governing occupational health and safety in healthcare workplaces, including reprocessing areas?
- The Canada Health Act
- The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) (Correct answer)
- The Regulated Health Professions Act
- The Long-Term Care Homes Act
Correct 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.
Question 7: What is the key difference between disinfection and sterilization?
- Disinfection removes all microorganisms including spores; sterilization does not
- Sterilization destroys all microorganisms including spores; disinfection does not eliminate all spores (Correct answer)
- Both processes achieve the same level of microbial kill
- Sterilization uses only heat while disinfection uses only chemicals
Correct 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.
