OCC Infection Control, Safety, & Professional Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which professional standard requires orthopedic casting technicians to maintain competency through continuing education?
- HIPAA Privacy Rule
- The OCC certification maintenance requirements (Correct answer)
- OSHA Hazard Communication Standard
- CDC Isolation Guidelines
Correct answer: The OCC certification maintenance requirements
OCC certification bodies require continuing education credits for certification renewal to ensure ongoing competency.
Question 2: A pediatric patient's parent asks a casting technician to explain the risks of the casting procedure. The technician's best response is to:
- Refer all questions exclusively to the physician before proceeding
- Explain the procedure within their scope of practice and refer clinical risk questions to the physician (Correct answer)
- Provide a detailed medical risk assessment to reassure the parent
- Decline to answer questions and hand the parent a printed brochure
Correct answer: Explain the procedure within their scope of practice and refer clinical risk questions to the physician
Technicians can explain the procedure within their scope but must defer clinical risk and informed consent questions to the supervising physician.
Question 3: When disposing of a removed fiberglass cast contaminated with wound drainage, it should be treated as:
- Regular trash that can be discarded in any waste bin
- Regulated medical waste requiring biohazard disposal (Correct answer)
- Recyclable material due to its fiberglass composition
- Hazardous chemical waste due to the resin content
Correct answer: Regulated medical waste requiring biohazard disposal
Casting material saturated with blood or wound drainage is classified as regulated medical waste and requires biohazard disposal.
Question 4: A casting room that follows proper infection control will have a hand hygiene station that includes:
- Antimicrobial soap and water only
- Alcohol-based hand rub as an acceptable alternative to soap and water in most situations (Correct answer)
- Only soap and water since alcohol rubs are ineffective
- A single shared cloth towel for drying
Correct answer: Alcohol-based hand rub as an acceptable alternative to soap and water in most situations
CDC guidelines accept alcohol-based hand rubs as an effective alternative to soap and water for most clinical situations except when hands are visibly soiled.
Question 5: Which of the following is an example of a 'sharps injury' that must be reported under OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard?
- A laceration from a cast edge
- A needlestick from a used suture needle during cast window creation (Correct answer)
- A blister from repeated use of casting scissors
- An abrasion from plaster particles
Correct answer: A needlestick from a used suture needle during cast window creation
A puncture from a contaminated sharp object such as a used suture needle is a reportable sharps injury under the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard.
Question 6: The primary reason cast technicians should avoid wearing artificial nails or chipped nail polish is:
- Patient allergies to nail products
- Artificial nails harbor more microorganisms and may compromise glove integrity (Correct answer)
- Appearance standards required by most healthcare facilities
- Risk of nail fragments contaminating casting materials
Correct answer: Artificial nails harbor more microorganisms and may compromise glove integrity
Studies show artificial nails harbor significantly more gram-negative bacteria and fungi, increasing infection transmission risk.
Question 7: If a patient refuses to have their cast removed despite a physician's order, the casting technician should:
- Proceed with removal since it is a physician's order
- Attempt to persuade the patient and then remove the cast
- Stop, document the refusal, and notify the supervising physician (Correct answer)
- Restrain the patient with assistance and proceed
Correct answer: Stop, document the refusal, and notify the supervising physician
Competent patients have the right to refuse treatment; the technician must respect this, document it, and notify the physician.
OCC Infection Control, Safety, & Professional Standards 3
Which professional standard requires orthopedic casting technicians to maintain competency through continuing education?