Infection Control, Sterilization, and Safety Regulations
Infection control is regulated through Board rules that incorporate standard precautions and accepted guidelines. Candidates should understand the core principles: treat all patients as potentially infectious, use appropriate personal protective equipment, perform hand hygiene before and after patient contact, and manage sharps safely. Sterilization of critical and semicritical instruments requires validated methods, typically autoclave with monitoring that includes biological indicators, chemical indicators, and routine maintenance records.
Know the difference between sterilization and disinfection. Items that penetrate tissue or contact blood must be sterilized; environmental surfaces are cleaned and disinfected with appropriate agents. Single-use items must not be reprocessed. Traps include assuming that a chemical disinfectant substitutes for sterilization, or that autoclave tape alone proves sterility - biological monitoring is the accepted verification.
Occupational safety concepts include exposure control plans, hepatitis B vaccination offers, post-exposure protocols, and proper handling and disposal of regulated waste. Waterline and suction maintenance and radiographic safety practices also appear in questions.
Documentation matters: sterilization logs, spore test results, and training records demonstrate compliance. Falsifying logs is both a safety and a professional conduct violation.
Rule of thumb: if an item will contact broken skin or penetrate tissue, it must be sterilized, and the proof is a biological indicator, not tape.
Worked example: A hygienist notes the autoclave spore test failed. The correct response is to stop using the unit, reprocess affected instruments, and follow the manufacturer and Board protocol; continuing to use the autoclave because the tape turned color is wrong.