Safety in the Medical Office
What federal agency establishes workplace safety standards?
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
What is the single most important action for preventing the spread of infection?
Hand hygiene.
What term describes microorganisms that cause disease?
Pathogens.
What is the most common vein used for routine venipuncture?
Median cubital vein.
What type of cells produce antibodies?
B lymphocytes/B cells
What document provides information about the hazards and safe handling of a chemical?
Safety Data Sheet (SDS).
What precautions should be used when treating every patient, regardless of diagnosis?
Standard Precautions.
What type of microorganism requires a living host cell to reproduce?
Viruses.
What is the correct angle for routine venipuncture?
Approximately 15–30 degrees.
What organ filters lymph and contains lymphocytes that help fight infection?
Lymph nodes.
What should an MA do immediately after an accidental needlestick injury?
Wash the area immediately with soap and water, report the exposure, document it, and follow the facility’s exposure-control/post-exposure protocol.
What is the difference between medical asepsis and surgical asepsis?
Medical asepsis reduces the number and spread of microorganisms; surgical asepsis maintains an environment free of microorganisms and is also called sterile technique.
What are the three common shapes of bacteria?
Cocci, bacilli, and spirilla/spiral forms.
What is a hematoma?
A hematoma is a localized pool of blood trapped outside of the blood vessels, usually caused by an injured or damaged vein or artery.
What is the difference between active immunity and passive immunity?
Active immunity results when a person's immune system produces its own response after exposure or vaccination; passive immunity occurs when ready-made antibodies are received from another source.
What is the purpose of an eyewash station in the medical office?
To flush hazardous chemicals or potentially infectious material from the eyes after exposure.
What should you do if a sterile item falls below waist level during a sterile procedure?
Consider the item contaminated and replace it with a sterile item.
What process destroys all microorganisms, including bacterial spores?
Sterilization
What is hemolysis, and name one action that can cause it during blood collection.
Hemolysis is the rupture of red blood cells. Causes can include vigorous shaking of tubes, using an inappropriate needle size, traumatic collection, or improper specimen handling.
What is metastasis?
The spread of malignant cancer cells from the original site to other areas of the body
Name four types of PPE commonly used in the medical office.
Examples include gloves, gown, mask, and protective eyewear/face shield.
Name four situations that would contaminate a sterile field.
Examples: reaching across a sterile field, allowing a sterile object to fall below waist level/out of sight, touching it with a nonsterile object, allowing the field to become wet, or touching the outer border of the sterile field.
What is microbiology?
The study of microscopic living organisms, known as microorganisms.
Put these tubes in the correct general order of draw: light blue, lavender, blood culture, green, serum/red or gold.
Blood cultures → light blue → serum/red or gold → green → lavender.
Explain the difference between a benign tumor and a malignant tumor.
A benign tumor is noncancerous and does not invade surrounding tissues or metastasize; a malignant tumor is cancerous, can invade nearby tissue, and may metastasize.