Infection Control and Safety
Infection control questions test standard precautions and the chain of infection. Know the difference between standard precautions (applied to all patients) and transmission-based precautions, and understand hand hygiene (soap and water vs. alcohol-based rubs, when each is required), personal protective equipment (gloves, masks, eyewear, gowns), and the sequence of donning and doffing. Know sterilization (autoclave types and monitoring - biological, chemical, mechanical), disinfection levels (high, intermediate, low), and the classification of instruments as critical, semicritical, and noncritical. Understand surface barriers, waterline management, and sharps safety, including needlestick protocol (wash, report, evaluate for post-exposure prophylaxis). Know how to handle bloodborne and airborne pathogens and the principles of asepsis.
Traps: assuming alcohol-based hand rub is acceptable when hands are visibly soiled (it is not); confusing disinfection with sterilization; and forgetting that standard precautions apply to every patient regardless of known status. Questions often test the correct order of procedures or the appropriate level of processing for an item - classify the item first, then choose the method.
Rule of thumb: classify the item by contact with tissue (critical = sterile, semicritical = high-level disinfection or sterilization, noncritical = low/intermediate disinfection), then select the process.
Worked example: A used scaler contacts blood and penetrates tissue, so it is critical and must be sterilized by autoclave, with biological monitoring. A countertop that only contacts intact skin is noncritical and requires low- to intermediate-level disinfection.