CHESP flashcards
CHESP · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Environment of care
- A continuous multidisciplinary management process addressing safety, security, hazardous materials, fire safety, medical equipment, and utilities to protect patients, staff, and visitors.
- Interim Life Safety Measures
- Temporary compensatory actions such as fire watch, surveillance, and staff notification taken when fire protection systems or barriers are impaired or out of service.
- Standard precautions
- Infection control practices applied to all patients regardless of diagnosis, including hand hygiene, gloves, gowns, masks, and safe handling of sharps and body fluids.
- Transmission-based precautions
- Additional precautions for contact, droplet, or airborne spread, requiring specific PPE, patient placement, and ventilation beyond standard precautions.
- Safety Data Sheet
- A standardized document describing a hazardous chemical's hazards, handling, PPE, spill response, and first aid; must be accessible to workers who use the product.
- Fire drill documentation
- A record of each drill capturing date, time, participants, scenario, and critique findings, retained to demonstrate ongoing life safety readiness.
- Egress route
- An unobstructed path of travel to an exit that remains clear at all times and whose doors open in the direction of travel without special keys.
- Emergency lighting
- Battery or generator-backed illumination for exits and egress paths that must function when normal power fails, verified through scheduled testing.
- Workplace violence risk assessment
- A structured evaluation of security hazards, patient/staff interactions, and access control used to design prevention and response measures in the environment of care.
- Utilities management plan
- A documented program for inspecting, testing, and maintaining critical utility systems such as medical gas, electricity, HVAC, and water, with retained records.
- Medical equipment maintenance
- Scheduled inspection and testing of patient-care devices per manufacturer and facility intervals, with inventory and records available for survey.
- Spill response procedure
- A defined sequence for containing, absorbing, and disposing of a hazardous material spill using appropriate PPE, with notification and reporting steps.
- Hand hygiene
- The single most effective infection prevention action; performed before and after patient contact, after body fluid exposure, and after touching contaminated surfaces.
- Access control
- Physical and procedural measures limiting entry to sensitive areas to authorized persons to protect patients, staff, and assets.
- Cleaning
- The physical removal of visible soil, organic matter, and many microorganisms from surfaces using detergent and mechanical action, preparing surfaces for disinfection.
- Disinfection
- A process that destroys or inactivates most pathogenic microorganisms on inanimate surfaces, excluding bacterial spores, using a product at its labeled concentration and contact time.
- Sterilization
- A validated process that destroys all forms of microbial life, including bacterial spores, and is required for critical items entering sterile tissue or the vascular system.
- Spalding classification
- A scheme categorizing items as critical, semicritical, or noncritical based on body contact, determining whether sterilization, high-level, or low-level disinfection is needed.
- Contact time
- The manufacturer-specified duration a disinfectant must remain visibly wet on a surface to achieve its labeled kill claim; premature drying reduces efficacy.
- High-touch surfaces
- Frequently contacted objects such as bed rails, call buttons, doorknobs, light switches, and over-bed tables that require more frequent cleaning and disinfection.
- Terminal cleaning
- Comprehensive cleaning and disinfection of a patient room and bathroom after discharge or transfer, completed before the next patient occupies the space.
- Workloading
- A method that quantifies cleanable square footage, room types, and task times to determine required staffing and balance assignments across the department.
- Productivity benchmark
- A reference metric, such as minutes per room or cleanable square feet per full-time equivalent, used to compare and adjust environmental services staffing.
- Dilution ratio
- The manufacturer-specified proportion of chemical concentrate to water; incorrect dilution can reduce efficacy or create hazards, so dispensing must follow the label.
- Chemical incompatibility
- The hazard created when products such as bleach and ammonia or acid are mixed, generating toxic gases; products must never be combined unless the label permits.
- Regulated medical waste
- Waste capable of transmitting disease, such as blood-soaked materials and sharps, segregated at the point of generation into labeled, compliant containers for special handling.
- Sharps container
- A puncture-resistant, closable, leakproof container used to dispose of needles and other sharps, replaced when about three-quarters full.
- Isolation room cleaning
- Cleaning performed under transmission-based precautions with appropriate PPE, dedicated supplies, and sequence that avoids spreading contamination outside the room.
- Microfiber cleaning
- A reusable textile cleaning method that removes soil effectively with less chemical and water; requires color-coding and laundering protocols to prevent cross-contamination.
- Color-coded cleaning tools
- A system assigning distinct colors to cloths and mops by area, such as patient rooms versus restrooms, to prevent cross-contamination between zones.
- Quality monitoring
- Objective assessment of cleaning performance using methods such as fluorescent marker, ATP testing, or visual inspection, with results used for feedback and training.
- Cross-contamination
- The transfer of microorganisms from one surface or area to another via hands, tools, or equipment, prevented by hand hygiene, tool separation, and proper cleaning sequence.