Infection Control, Patient Safety, Ethics, and Professionalism
What this domain tests
Infection control, patient safety, ethics, and professionalism test standard precautions, sterilisation monitoring, sharps safety, consent, confidentiality, and professional conduct.
Core rules
- Standard precautions apply to every patient: hand hygiene, gloves, mask, eye protection, gown, and safe sharps handling.
- Sterilisation: clean and package instruments, autoclave at 134 degrees Celsius for at least 3 minutes or 121 degrees for 15 minutes, and monitor with chemical indicators, biological spore tests, and records.
- Do not recap needles; use a sharps container at the point of use.
- Post-exposure: wash the wound, report immediately, assess source and vaccination status, and start prophylaxis within hours if indicated.
- Dental unit waterlines need regular disinfection and flushing.
- Ethics: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, veracity, and confidentiality; consent must be informed and voluntary; treat within competence and refer when needed.
- Social media and messaging about patients breach confidentiality even without names.
Worked example
A hygienist sustains a needlestick from a patient with unknown hepatitis status. Reasoning: wash with soap and water, encourage bleeding, report to the infection control officer, test source and exposed worker, and assess hepatitis B vaccination and HIV post-exposure prophylaxis; document and follow up.
Traps
Recapping needles; delaying reporting; discussing a patient on social media; treating beyond your licence.