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Question

Difficulty: MediumHandling Hazardous and Infectious Materials

A client with suspected active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) needs to provide a sputum sample for diagnostic testing. During the collection and packaging of this infectious material, which action demonstrates proper safety adherence?

  1. Placing the tightly sealed specimen container into a plastic biohazard bag that has a separate outer pouch for the requisition form.Answer
  2. B
    Wearing a standard surgical mask, face shield, and clean gloves while assisting the client with the sputum collection.
  3. C
    Delegating the instruction of proper coughing and deep-breathing techniques for the sample collection to an unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP).
  4. D
    Hand-carrying the unbagged specimen container immediately to the laboratory to prioritize rapid diagnostic testing.

Answer

The specimen container should be placed into a biohazard transport bag, ensuring the requisition form is kept in the separate outer pocket to prevent contamination.
Proper management of infectious laboratory specimens requires placing the sealed container into a secondary biohazard transport bag. Keeping the laboratory requisition form in the separate outer pouch prevents it from becoming contaminated if the primary container leaks, protecting laboratory personnel from exposure.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the transmission risk associated with the suspected pathogen.
Tuberculosis requires airborne precautions, and sputum is a highly infectious material.
Understanding the pathogen dictates the appropriate personal protective equipment and handling protocols.
2
Determine the proper packaging for infectious laboratory specimens.
The specimen must be secured in a leak-proof primary container and placed in a secondary biohazard transport bag.
Double-layering protects the environment and personnel from accidental exposure during transport.
3
Ensure the safety of the laboratory requisition documentation.
The paperwork is placed in the separate outer pocket of the biohazard bag.
Keeping paperwork separated from the specimen prevents the documentation from becoming contaminated in the event of a leak.

Key Concept

Handling Infectious Materials and Biohazard Packaging
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Topics

Handling Hazardous and Infectious Materials

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