Deck 18: Preventing Sharps Injuries

Question 1

A "Culture of Safety" is best defined as which of the following?

A)Bacterial and viral cultures that have been sterilized
B)Efforts made by the employer and employees to provide a safe work environment
C)A system to make patients feel as safe as possible during treatment
D)A video program supplied by numerous sales representatives to support purchase of their products or equipment.

Answer 1

Efforts made by the employer and employees to provide a safe work environment

Question 2

What is a work practice control?

A)An action that alters the manner in which a task is performed
B)A device that removes the potential hazard
C)A machine that kills microbes
D)An apparatus that controls to spread of microbes

Answer 2

An action that alters the manner in which a task is performed

Question 3

What should be done if you drop a contaminated anesthetic needle on the floor during patient treatment at chairside?

A)Pick it up immediately and place it on the instrument tray.
B)Put on heavy utility gloves, pick it up, and place it in the sharps container.
C)Use tongs or cotton pliers to pick it up and place it on the instrument tray.
D)Use tongs or cotton pliers to pick it up and place it in the sharps container.

Answer 3

Use tongs or cotton pliers to pick it up and place it in the sharps container.

Question 4

The risk of acquiring which of the following infections is greatest after receiving a percutaneous exposure to infected blood?

A)Tuberculosis
B)Hepatitis B
C)Hepatitis C
D)HIV disease

Question 5

Sharps containers should be:

A)occasionally drained to remove any contaminated liquid.
B)filled only three-quarters full before disposing.
C)kept in the sterilizing room.
D)periodically emptied and reused.

Question 6

Which of the following techniques is a safe way to handle sharps?

A)Move quickly when disposing of a sharp so the time in handling the sharp will be as short as possible.
B)Use cotton pliers or tongs rather than your gloved fingers to pick up dropped sharps.
C)Have the bur facing out when placing the hand piece back into its holder.
D)Use exam gloves when handling contaminated instruments during cleaning to get a better feel of the items.

Question 7

When could a sharps injury most likely occur?

A)When hand instruments are placed back into the instrument tray
B)When cleaning and disinfecting the light handle
C)When using the high-volume evacuator
D)When placing the patient bib

Question 8

What is an engineering control?

A)An action that alters the manner in which a task is performed
B)A device that removes the potential hazard
C)A system that controls patient compliance with oral hygiene
D)An approach to positioning the patient's head to minimize aerosolization of saliva during use of the air/water syringe or high-speed handpiece

Question 9

What is the safest approach to cleaning and managing contaminated hand instruments?

A)Hand-scrubbing the instruments with a long-handled brush, then placing them on the bottom of an ultrasonic cleaner tank and ultrasonically cleaning them
B)Ultrasonic cleaning the instruments placed on the bottom of the cleaner tank, then hand scrubbing them with a long-handled brush
C)Ultrasonic cleaning in a cleaning basket
D)Ultrasonic cleaning in instrument cassettes

Question 10

Which of the following techniques is a safe way to handle sharps?

A)Place instruments on the bottom of the ultrasonic cleaning chamber during cleaning.
B)Sharpen instruments at chairside whenever possible.
C)Recap an anesthetic needle after removing it from the syringe and before placing it in the sharps container.
D)Do not sharpen contaminated instruments.

Question 11

OSHA's Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act requires that a dental office conduct an annual consideration and implementation of appropriate commercially available and effective safer medical devices designed to eliminate or minimize occupational exposure.

Question 12

OSHA determined that offices and clinics of dentists are of a low hazard and do not have to keep an OSHA injury and illness record unless the government asks for it.

Question 13

Which of the following is the best way to dispose of a contaminated needle?

A)Cut the needle before placing it in a sharps container.
B)Place the needle in a sharps container as soon as possible after use.
C)Bend the needle before placing it in a sharps container.
D)Pass it to someone else for disposal.

Question 14

Which of the following should be done before disposing of a used anesthetic needle?

A)Bend the needle.
B)Recap the needle by hand.
C)Recap the needle by the scoop technique.
D)Pass it to someone else for recapping.

Question 15

When could a sharps injury most likely occur?

A)When operating the dry heat sterilizer
B)When cleaning and disinfecting a countertop
C)When handling sterile packages of hand instruments
D)When using a biological indicator

Question 16

When could a sharps injury most likely occur?

A)When operating the dry heat sterilizer
B)When inserting a bur into the hand piece
C)When cleaning and disinfecting a countertop
D)When using a biological indicator

Question 17

Sharps containers should be:

A)closed before moving them from one room to another in the office.
B)filled full before disposing to be as efficient as possible.
C)kept in the sterilizing room.
D)periodically emptied and reused.