Infection Control, Safety, and Practice Management
Standards and systems
Infection control questions test standard precautions, hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, sterilization, and waste management. Know the difference between sterilization and disinfection, and the rationale for autoclave monitoring with biological indicators. Safety includes sharps handling, ergonomics, and emergency preparedness. Practice management tests scheduling, record keeping, billing integrity, and team communication.
Traps in question stems
Common traps include skipping hand hygiene between patients, using a disinfectant where sterilization is required, and failing to monitor sterilization. Questions may test whether a surface barrier or disinfection is appropriate, or whether an item is single-use. Another trap is the answer that maximizes efficiency at the expense of safety. Watch for questions about needlestick management and post-exposure protocols.
Rule of thumb
Use the "if it penetrates tissue or contacts sterile tissue, it must be sterile" rule. For needlesticks, wash, report, and follow post-exposure prophylaxis protocols promptly.
Worked example
A bur is dropped on the floor. The correct action is to discard or reprocess according to policy, not to wipe it and reuse it. Sterilization monitoring with biological indicators confirms efficacy.