it can be easy to forget that you should remove all personal protective
equipment before leaving the decontamination area and returning to
the clean side of the department. It's common for SPD personnel to
forget to remove hair covers and shoe covers after they've already
removed their gowns, gloves, masks and eye protection. A tip: Provide
additional hair and shoe covers near the exit of the decontamination
area to allow for easy access.
12. Personnel should not wear jewelry on hands or wrists, even if
it's covered by gloves.
a. true b. false
a. While jewelry should not be worn in general in the sterile process-
ing area, this holds true even if the jewelry is covered with gloves in
the decontamination area. Rings and watches can cause breaks in
technicians' gloves that could lead to direct skin contact with cleaning
chemicals, contaminated water and bioburden.
13. Which type of water is recommended for
final rinse, as well as for steam sterilization?
a. tap water
b. utility water
c. critical water
d. potable water
c. The impact of water quality on reprocessing outcomes is probably
one of the most underrated and misunderstood aspects of holistic
sterile processing quality management — and accreditation surveyors
are giving it increasing attention. AAMI's TIR34:2014 document
(osmag.net/zAG5Ba) gives important information on the need to use
4 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J u l y 2 0 1 8
