NHA Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT)Safety and ComplianceMedium
A phlebotomy technician observes a colleague consistently failing to wear gloves during routine venipunctures for non-infectious patients. This practice is a violation of which of the following safety principles?
- AStandard precautions
- BDroplet precautions
- CContact precautions
- DAirborne precautions
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Standard precautions
Standard precautions require the use of gloves for all procedures involving potential contact with blood, body fluids, non-intact skin, or mucous membranes, regardless of the patient's infectious status. This protects both the patient and the healthcare worker.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Droplet precautions require a surgical mask, in addition to gloves, for diseases spread by large droplets.
- C. Contact precautions require a gown and gloves for direct or indirect contact with patients or their environment, but standard precautions apply to all patients.
- D. Airborne precautions require N95 respirators, not just gloves, for specific airborne diseases.
Standard Precautions
Infection prevention practices that apply to all patients, regardless of suspected or confirmed infection status, in any healthcare setting. They involve hand hygiene and the use of PPE.
- Treat all blood and body fluids as potentially infectious.
- Requires hand hygiene before and after patient contact.
- Mandates gloves for contact with blood, body fluids, non-intact skin, mucous membranes.
Memory trick: Standard: Treat EVERYONE as potentially infectious!