Deck 10: Sterile Technique

Question 1

When the following concepts are compared,which is most important in maintaining a safe environment by following aseptic principles?

A)Performing a surgical hand scrub
B)Applying a sterile gown
C)Recognizing the importance of following aseptic principles
D)Applying a mask and protective eyewear

Answer 1

Recognizing the importance of following aseptic principles

Question 2

When performing sterile aseptic procedures,the nurse must create a _____________ in which objects can be handled with minimal risk for contamination.

Answer 2

sterile field

Question 3

Nurses commonly use surgical asepsis in which of the following situations?

A)In labor and delivery areas
B)When inserting an intravenous catheter
C)When treating patients with surgical incisions or burns
D)When inserting a urinary catheter
E)When dressing an MRSA-positive wound

Answer 3

In labor and delivery areas
When inserting an intravenous catheter
When treating patients with surgical incisions or burns
When inserting a urinary catheter

Question 4

The nurse is applying for a job at a local hospital.She wants to look her best for the interview and decides to wear artificial nails.She does this knowing that artificial nails:

A)are appropriate in the ICU setting as long as the nurse washes her hands frequently.
B)can lead to fungal growth under the nail.
C)can actually lower the bacterial count on the hands because they cover the natural nail.
D)are banned only in areas where patients are critically ill.

Question 5

An appropriate principle of surgical asepsis is that:

A)the entirety of a sterile package is sterile once it is opened.
B)all of the draped table,top to bottom,is considered sterile.
C)an object held below the waist is considered contaminated.
D)if the sterile barrier field becomes wet,the dry areas are still sterile.

Question 6

A patient requires a sterile dressing change for a mid-abdominal surgical incision.An appropriate intervention for the nurse to implement in maintaining sterile asepsis is to:

A)put sterile gloves on before opening sterile packages.
B)discard items that may have been in contact with the area below waist level.
C)place the povidone-iodine bottle well within the sterile field.
D)place sterile items on the very edge of the sterile drape.

Question 7

A nurse is preparing a sterile field for a dressing change using surgical aseptic technique.The nurse gathers supplies to prepare the sterile field using a packaged drape.Which option correctly describes how the nurse should set up the field?

A)Don sterile gloves before opening the packaged drape.
B)Clean the bottle of irrigation solution with alcohol before placing the bottle on the field.
C)Avoid dropping sterile supplies close to the 1-inch border around the drape.
D)Leave the sterile field unattended to obtain needed supplies.

Question 8

When removing the mask after an aseptic procedure,what should the nurse do first?

A)Remove gloves.
B)Untie top strings of mask.
C)Untie bottom strings of mask.
D)Untie top strings and let mask hang.

Question 9

Which patient may the nurse suspect will be at risk for a latex allergy?

A)Patient with food allergies
B)Patient with diabetes
C)Patient with arthritis
D)Patient with hypertension

Question 10

_____________ is one practice designed to make and maintain objects and areas free from pathogenic microorganisms.

Question 11

The minimum standard for infection control as established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)is _______________.

Question 12

Which of the following is an appropriate technique for the nurse to use when performing sterile gloving?

A)Put the glove on the nondominant hand first.
B)Interlock the hands after both gloves are applied.
C)Pull the cuffs down on both gloves after gloving.
D)Grasp the outside cuff of the other glove with the gloved hand.

Question 13

A type I hypersensitivity to latex is evident if the nurse assesses:

A)localized swelling.
B)skin redness and itching.
C)runny eyes and nose and cough.
D)tachycardia,hypotension,and wheezing.

Question 14

The patient has just had a tracheostomy tube placed and is expectorating copious amounts of sputum that he coughs forcefully from his tracheostomy tube.The patient also is suspected of having methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)in his sputum.The nurse is preparing to suction the patient to clear his airway.Which of the following will the nurse need to wear if following standard precautions?

A)Mask
B)Goggles
C)Gown
D)Sterile gloves

Question 15

A sterile field consists of which of the following?

A)Sterile tray
B)Work surface draped with a sterile towel
C)Table covered by a large sterile drape
D)Patient's bedside table

Question 16

The nurse is preparing to insert a urinary catheter.The package is dry but shows signs of yellowing inside the plastic wrapper,as if the package was wet at one time.What should the nurse do?

A)Use the package because it is dry at present.
B)Consider the outer package contaminated,but the inner package sterile.
C)Discard the entire package as contaminated.
D)Open the package and consider the 1-inch border as contaminated.