Infection Control & SafetyQuestion 53 of 100
Under standard precautions, how should a medical assistant treat every patient's blood and body fluids?
a.As infectious only when the patient has a known diagnosis of hepatitis or HIV
b.As potentially infectious for all patients, regardless of diagnosis
c.As safe if the patient looks healthy and reports no symptoms
d.As infectious only when visible blood is present
Explanation
Standard precautions require treating blood, all body fluids except sweat, non-intact skin, and mucous membranes as potentially infectious for every patient, because infection status is often unknown. Waiting for a known diagnosis or visible blood leaves staff exposed to undiagnosed carriers. A healthy appearance says nothing about bloodborne pathogen status.
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