OTC Orthopaedic Technologist Certified Infection Control and Safety 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient with a confirmed MRSA wound infection is brought to the cast room. Which transmission-based precautions are required?
- Airborne precautions
- Droplet precautions
- Contact precautions (Correct answer)
- Reverse isolation
Correct answer: Contact precautions
MRSA is spread through direct and indirect contact, so contact precautions—including gloves and gown—are required when caring for infected patients.
Question 2: Which action is required immediately after removing contaminated gloves?
- Apply lotion to prevent skin drying
- Perform hand hygiene (Correct answer)
- Don a new pair of gloves
- Inspect hands for cuts or abrasions
Correct answer: Perform hand hygiene
Hand hygiene must be performed immediately after removing gloves because gloves can harbor pathogens and may have microscopic defects.
Question 3: The minimum temperature for high-level disinfection when using glutaraldehyde is:
- 15°C (59°F)
- 20°C (68°F)
- 25°C (77°F) (Correct answer)
- 37°C (98.6°F)
Correct answer: 25°C (77°F)
Glutaraldehyde achieves high-level disinfection at 25°C (77°F) or above; lower temperatures reduce its efficacy against resistant organisms.
Question 4: An orthopaedic technologist sustains a needlestick from a patient with unknown HIV status. The first action should be to:
- Immediately report to the employee health office
- Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water (Correct answer)
- Squeeze the wound to express blood
- Apply a tourniquet above the injury site
Correct answer: Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water
The immediate first step after a needlestick is to wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and water to reduce pathogen load.
Question 5: Which agency regulates the safe disposal of regulated medical waste (biohazardous waste) in the United States?
- FDA
- CDC
- OSHA and state environmental agencies (Correct answer)
- The Joint Commission
Correct answer: OSHA and state environmental agencies
Medical waste disposal is regulated by OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard and individual state environmental/health agencies.
Question 6: When casting a patient in a plaster room, the orthopaedic technologist is most at risk for inhaling:
- Carbon monoxide
- Plaster dust and fiberglass particles (Correct answer)
- Glutaraldehyde vapors
- Ethylene oxide fumes
Correct answer: Plaster dust and fiberglass particles
Cutting and removing casts generates plaster dust and fiberglass particles that can irritate the respiratory tract and eyes.
Question 7: The primary goal of sterilization, as opposed to disinfection, is to destroy:
- Only vegetative bacteria
- All microorganisms including bacterial spores (Correct answer)
- All viruses but not bacterial spores
- Prions and fungi only
Correct answer: All microorganisms including bacterial spores
Sterilization eliminates all forms of microbial life including highly resistant bacterial endospores, which disinfection alone cannot achieve.
OTC Orthopaedic Technologist Certified Infection Control and Safety 3
A patient with a confirmed MRSA wound infection is brought to the cast room.
Which transmission-based precautions are required?