CMT - Certified Medication Technician Infection Control Practices Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A CMT is preparing to administer eye drops to a resident with bacterial conjunctivitis. Which action is MOST critical for preventing contamination of the medication?
- Wash hands only after the procedure is complete.
- Wear the same pair of gloves for all residents on the hall.
- Encourage the resident to rub their eye to spread the medication.
- Avoid touching the tip of the medication bottle to the resident's eye. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Avoid touching the tip of the medication bottle to the resident's eye.
Touching the dropper tip to an infected eye contaminates the entire bottle of medication. This can lead to reinfection of the resident, cross-contamination to the other eye, or transmission to others. Maintaining the sterility of the dropper tip is a crucial aspect of medical asepsis.
Question 2: According to Standard Precautions, a CMT must wear gloves when performing which of these medication administration tasks?
- Administering an oral tablet to a cooperative resident.
- Applying a topical antifungal cream to an area of non-intact skin. (Correct answer)
- Handing a resident a pre-filled insulin pen for self-administration.
- Dropping off a sealed cup of pills at the resident's bedside.
Correct answer: Applying a topical antifungal cream to an area of non-intact skin.
Standard Precautions require wearing gloves whenever there is potential for contact with blood, bodily fluids, mucous membranes, or non-intact skin. Applying cream to broken skin presents a clear risk of this contact.
Question 3: After administering an oral medication to a resident who is in isolation for a Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infection, what is the required method for hand hygiene?
- Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer thoroughly.
- Washing hands vigorously with soap and water. (Correct answer)
- Wiping hands with a disinfectant cloth from the isolation cart.
- No hand hygiene is needed if gloves were worn correctly.
Correct answer: Washing hands vigorously with soap and water.
C. difficile forms spores that are resistant to alcohol-based hand sanitizers. The CDC recommends vigorously washing hands with soap and water, as the friction helps to physically remove the spores.
Question 4: In the chain of infection, a contaminated medication cart surface is considered which of the following?
- Portal of entry
- Susceptible host
- Fomite (Correct answer)
- Reservoir
Correct answer: Fomite
A fomite is an inanimate object or surface that can become contaminated with infectious agents and serve as a vehicle for transmission. The medication cart surface, if contaminated, can transfer pathogens to the CMT's hands and then to a resident.
Question 5: Which of the following actions by a CMT best demonstrates the principle of medical asepsis?
- Using sterile gloves to administer oral medications.
- Washing hands before preparing each resident's medications. (Correct answer)
- Sterilizing all medication cups in an autoclave before use.
- Requiring all residents to wear a mask during medication pass.
Correct answer: Washing hands before preparing each resident's medications.
Medical asepsis, or clean technique, involves practices that reduce the number of microorganisms and prevent their spread. Handwashing is a cornerstone of medical asepsis. Sterilizing items (autoclave) and using sterile gloves for a non-sterile procedure are components of surgical asepsis, which is a higher level of infection control.
Question 6: A CMT drops a resident's medication, which is still sealed in its unit-dose packaging, onto the floor of the resident's room. What is the correct action?
- Pick it up, wipe the package with an alcohol pad, and administer the medication.
- Discard the medication according to facility policy and obtain a new dose. (Correct answer)
- Pick up the medication, open it, and place the pill in a new, clean medication cup.
- Administer the medication, as the packaging protected it from germs.
Correct answer: Discard the medication according to facility policy and obtain a new dose.
The floor in a healthcare setting is always considered a highly contaminated surface. To prevent any risk of cross-contamination, the safest and most appropriate action is to discard the dropped medication, even if packaged, and retrieve a new one. This adheres to the principles of medical asepsis and patient safety.
CMT - Certified Medication Technician Infection Control Practices Questions and Answers
A CMT is preparing to administer eye drops to a resident with bacterial conjunctivitis.
Which action is MOST critical for preventing contamination of the medication?