Perioperative Patient Advocacy Flashcards
7 cards from real CST practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Perioperative Patient Advocacy flashcards as text
A patient scheduled for an elective procedure becomes visibly tearful and states she is not sure she wants to go through with it. What is the scrub tech's most appropriate response?
Answer: Stop transport and notify the circulator and surgeon of the patient's expressed doubt
A patient expressing doubt about proceeding must be taken seriously; the scrub tech should stop transport and notify the responsible team members so the patient can be reassured or surgery delayed.
Which behavior MOST directly supports the principle of patient dignity in the perioperative setting?
Answer: Keeping OR conversations limited to surgical topics and minimizing exposure of the patient's body
Limiting exposure and maintaining professional conversation directly protect the patient's physical and emotional dignity during a vulnerable time.
A scrub tech suspects that a surgical team member may be impaired by alcohol during a case. What is the correct action?
Answer: Immediately report the suspicion to the charge nurse or OR supervisor
Suspicion of impairment poses an immediate threat to patient safety and must be reported to a supervisor without delay so the impaired individual can be removed from the OR.
Which of the following is an example of the surgical technologist functioning as a patient advocate regarding medication safety?
Answer: Verbally confirming all medications with the circulator and labeling every syringe and container on the sterile field
Labeling every medication and confirming each with the circulator prevents medication errors, which are a leading source of intraoperative patient harm.
A patient is being prepped for abdominal surgery when the scrub tech notices the surgical site mark is missing. The surgeon says the site is obvious and wants to proceed. What should the scrub tech do?
Answer: Support halting the procedure until the surgeon marks the site per Universal Protocol
Universal Protocol requires site marking for all procedures involving laterality or distinct levels; the team should not proceed without the mark, and the scrub tech is empowered to raise this concern.
During a pediatric case, the parents have given consent, but the 15-year-old patient becomes agitated and says she does not want the procedure. How should the surgical technologist respond?
Answer: Notify the surgeon and charge nurse immediately so the patient's dissent can be evaluated and addressed
While parental consent governs for minors, a patient's expressed dissent requires immediate notification of the team so the situation can be evaluated for potential mature-minor considerations and ethical review.
The surgical team discovers intraoperatively that the patient has an undocumented pacemaker when the electrosurgical unit causes interference. What is the most important advocacy action the scrub tech can take?
Answer: Alert the team immediately so electrosurgical use can be modified to protect pacemaker function
Undocumented pacemakers require immediate team communication so ESU use is modified or avoided, preventing potentially fatal pacemaker inhibition.