Quality Assurance Flashcards
6 cards from real IAHCSMM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Quality Assurance flashcards as text
A recall in sterile processing is initiated when:
Answer: A sterilization process failure is identified that may have resulted in non-sterile items being released for patient use
A sterile processing recall is initiated when a sterilization failure (e.g., positive biological indicator, cycle parameter failure) indicates that items processed in that load may not be sterile and may have been used on patients.
Which of the following BEST describes the concept of sterile conscience in CS practice?
Answer: A personal commitment to never compromise sterility standards even under time pressure or when no one is watching
Sterile conscience refers to each CS professional personal commitment to uphold sterility standards consistently, even under time pressure, staffing shortages, or without direct supervision.
Root cause analysis (RCA) in a CS quality program is BEST used to:
Answer: Identify the underlying systemic factors that allowed an error to occur so they can be corrected
RCA identifies the underlying systemic root causes of errors (not just individual blame) so that the systems, processes, training, or equipment contributing to the error can be corrected.
What does a Class 1 chemical indicator (process indicator) tell us when used on the outside of a sterile package?
Answer: That the package has been through a sterilization cycle (processed vs. unprocessed)
A Class 1 process indicator (e.g., autoclave tape) distinguishes packages that have been through a sterilization cycle from those that have not, preventing accidental use of unprocessed items.
A CS quality improvement (QI) program should include all of the following EXCEPT:
Answer: Monitoring and documenting employee personal financial information
Employee personal financial information is completely unrelated to CS quality improvement, which focuses on process performance, instrument quality, and sterilization efficacy monitoring.
The principle of event-related sterility (as opposed to time-related sterility) is based on which concept?
Answer: Sterile package integrity is maintained until an event (damage, moisture, contamination) compromises the packaging - not based on a fixed expiration date
Event-related sterility holds that a properly packaged sterile item remains sterile indefinitely until a specific event (packaging compromise, moisture exposure, physical damage) occurs - not based on a calendar date.