Safety & ProfessionalismQuestion 85 of 100
When must an EKG technician perform hand hygiene?
a.Only after contact with blood or body fluids
b.Before and after every patient contact, after removing gloves, and after contact with contaminated equipment
c.Only at the beginning and end of the shift
d.Only when the hands look visibly soiled
Explanation
Hand hygiene is required before and after every patient contact, after glove removal, and after touching potentially contaminated surfaces or equipment, because gloves can have unseen defects and hands become contaminated during removal. Waiting for visible soil or for blood exposure ignores the routine transfer of organisms. Shift-based washing leaves every patient in between unprotected.
Law Reference: CDC Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care SettingsPractice all 100 questions free — no signup required.
Related questions on this topic
- Before performing an EKG on an inpatient, how should the technician identify the patient?
- An EKG technician looks up the chart of a coworker who was admitted overnight, out of concern for her wellbeing. Is this permitted?
- Two technicians are discussing a patient's abnormal EKG in a crowded elevator. What is the problem?
- A patient's chest has an open, draining wound near a chest electrode site. What does the bloodborne pathogens standard require of the technician?
- A patient asks the EKG technician, "Does this tracing mean I had a heart attack?" What is the appropriate response?
- While attaching electrodes, the technician sees ventricular fibrillation appear on the screen and the patient becomes unresponsive. What is the first action?
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