Patient Care, Safety, and Infection Control
Domain 7 - Patient Care, Safety, and Infection Control
The exam tests preparation, communication, privacy, emergency readiness, and infection-control practice during EEG, EP, NCS, and EMG procedures.
Core rules
- Before the study. Verify identity with two identifiers, confirm the order and indication, obtain informed consent, review allergies, medications, implanted devices, and seizure history. Explain the procedure in plain language and answer questions.
- During the study. Protect privacy, position safely, monitor for seizures or vasovagal events, and keep emergency equipment accessible. For needle EMG, use single-use needles and never reuse them.
- Standard precautions. Hand hygiene before and after patient contact and after glove removal; gloves for blood or body fluids; eye protection when splash risk exists. Disinfect reusable electrodes according to the manufacturer and facility policy; sterilize items that enter sterile tissue.
- Sharps safety. Do not recap needles; dispose immediately in a puncture-resistant container; report exposures promptly and follow post-exposure protocol.
- Transmission-based precautions. Follow contact, droplet, or airborne signs; use dedicated equipment when required; clean shared equipment between patients.
- Documentation. Record consent, patient cooperation, medications, events, and any adverse reactions.
Worked example
A patient with known MRSA is scheduled for EEG. Reasoning: MRSA spreads by contact, so use contact precautions - hand hygiene, gown and gloves, dedicated or carefully cleaned electrodes, and cleaning of the chair and machine between patients. Do not postpone the study for infection-control reasons alone, and do not skip hand hygiene after removing gloves.
Traps
Skipping consent because the test is 'noninvasive'; reusing EMG needles; cleaning electrodes with a product that damages them; ignoring isolation signage; documenting an event without time or description.