Patient Care · ARRT Radiography
Infection Control
The six-link chain of infection, medical vs surgical asepsis, Standard Precautions, the contact, droplet, and airborne isolation rules, and PPE order for the ARRT exam.
Overview
Infection Control hangs off one diagram, the chain of infection, and one practical fact: you only have to break one link. The six links run in the order the organism travels: infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, susceptible host. Hand hygiene is the single most effective measure, because microbes are most commonly spread by human hands.
The transmission routes split on two distinctions the exam loves. A fomite is an inanimate carrier such as an image receptor or tabletop, and it moves organisms by indirect contact; a vector is a living carrier, either one that bites or one, such as a fly, that just carries the organism. A droplet is a wet particle that falls out of the air within a few feet (textbooks say about 3, though CDC has seen droplets reach 6 feet or more); airborne means evaporated residue that stays suspended, which is why rubella sits on the droplet list while rubeola is airborne.
Precautions come in two tiers. Standard Precautions apply to every patient and treat all body fluids except sweat as potentially infectious. On top sit three transmission-based categories: contact means gloves and a gown put on as you enter the room, droplet means a surgical mask put on as you enter the room (3 feet is the older textbook trigger), and airborne means an N95 or higher plus a private negative pressure room with the door closed (for varicella, follow facility policy). C. difficile forms spores that survive alcohol gel, so the answer there is soap and water.
Asepsis divides on spores too. Medical asepsis reduces organisms as far as practical; surgical asepsis destroys organisms and their spores, and any procedure that penetrates body tissue requires it. PPE comes off in a set sequence, and CDC's poster gives two example sequences; its first runs gloves first, mask or respirator last, and in an airborne room the respirator stays on until the door is closed behind you. If sterility is questionable, the item is not sterile.
What you’ll learn in this chapter
The 17 study slides and 14 quiz questions in this chapter break down as follows. 3 chapters are free in full with a free account. The others come with a paid plan, and paid plans open soon.
Patient Care
- Infection Control
The chain
- The Chain of Infection
- Quiz
- Breaking the Chain
Transmission
- How Infection Travels
- Quiz
- Fomite, Vector, Vermin
Vocabulary
- Nosocomial and Healthcare-Associated
Asepsis
- Medical Asepsis and Surgical Asepsis
- Quiz
Practice
- Hand Hygiene
- Quiz
Tier 1
- Standard Precautions
- Quiz
Tier 2
- The Three Categories
- Contact and Droplet Precautions
- Quiz
- Airborne Precautions
Practice
- The Order of Donning and Doffing
- Quiz
Asepsis
- Disinfection and Sterilization
- Quiz
- Sterile Technique
- Quiz
Practice
- Contaminated Linen, Sharps and Waste
Recap
- What to Carry Out of This Chapter
- Quiz
- Quiz
- Quiz
- Quiz
- Quiz
Key terms in this chapter
These are 8 key terms from this chapter. Use them as a flashcard pre-quiz.
- Chain of Infection
- The six links an organism needs: infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host. Breaking any single link stops the infection.
- Fomite
- An inanimate object that carries live infectious microbes, such as an image receptor, tabletop, or similar equipment. Fomites transmit by indirect contact.
- Vector
- A living carrier. Usually an arthropod such as a mosquito, flea or tick, inside which the organism develops before a bite passes it on; a mechanical vector such as a fly only carries it.
- Nosocomial Infection
- An infection acquired in the course of medical care, classified by where the organism was acquired rather than where symptoms appear. When a specific treatment causes it, it is iatrogenic.
- Surgical Asepsis
- Sterile technique: complete destruction of microorganisms and their spores. Required for any procedure that penetrates body tissue, from contrast injection to catheterization.
- Standard Precautions
- The tier-1 precautions applied to every patient, treating blood and all body fluids, secretions, and excretions except sweat as potentially infectious.
- Airborne Precautions
- For tuberculosis, varicella, rubeola, smallpox, and SARS: a private negative pressure room with the door closed, and a surgical mask on the patient for transport. Ehrlich and Coakes has staff and visitors wear an N95 or higher-level respirator. CDC recommends that for staff entering the room of a patient with tuberculosis, measles, smallpox or SARS, but for varicella it makes no recommendation on mask or respirator type, so follow facility policy.
- N95 Respirator
- A tight-fitting respirator that filters at least 95 percent of airborne particles. It must be fit tested at least annually, with a user seal check at every donning.
Sample practice question: Patient Interactions
One free sample question from the Patient Interactions subcategory, like those in its 391-question bank. Several chapters share each sample, so it may not match this chapter's topic. See the format, the rationale style, and the difficulty before you sign up.
A patient is scheduled for an upper GI series. Before starting the exam, which of the following is the radiographer's FIRST priority?
Show answer and rationale
A, Incorrect: ARRT's outline lists comparing the order to the clinical indication beside identification under verification, but asking the radiologist to confirm the order does not establish who the patient is.
B, Correct: Correct. The Joint Commission requires two patient identifiers (typically name and date of birth) before proceeding with care.
C, Incorrect: Barium administration starts the exam, so it waits until you know you have the right patient.
D, Incorrect: Positioning starts the exam, so it waits until you know you have the right patient.
Read 3 chapters free.
The free tier unlocks 3 complete chapters, 50 practice questions, and 1 sample timed exam. No credit card required.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Infection Control chapter cover?
Infection Control hangs off one diagram, the chain of infection, and one practical fact: you only have to break one link. The six links run in the order the organism travels: infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, susceptible host. Hand hygiene is the single most effective measure, because microbes are most commonly spread by human hands.
How many study slides are in the Infection Control chapter?
This chapter has 17 study slides and 14 quiz questions across 12 sections. The full chapter comes with a paid plan, and paid plans open soon. The free tier includes 3 complete chapters.
Is this chapter aligned with the current ARRT Content Specifications?
Every chapter on this site is mapped to the ARRT Radiography Content Specifications, but our line-by-line check against ARRT's outline isn't finished, so keep ARRT's outline beside it. Nothing here follows your exam date, so check which version applies to you. This chapter falls under the Patient Care domain of the official ARRT exam blueprint.