Patient Care · ARRT 2025
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 that bites or stings. A droplet is a wet particle that falls within about 3 feet; 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 before entering the room, droplet means a surgical mask within 3 feet, and airborne means an N95 respirator plus a private negative pressure room with the door closed. 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 fixed order: 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 31 lessons in this chapter break down as follows. The full lesson content is unlocked when you start a free account.
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 the 8 terms most likely to appear on the ARRT registry 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 used syringe. Fomites transmit by indirect contact.
- Vector
- A living insect or animal carrier that delivers a microbe by stinging or biting. The arthropod vectors include mites, ticks, and mosquitoes.
- 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, an N95 respirator for staff, and a surgical mask on the patient for transport.
- 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 from the 124-question Patient Interactions bank. See the format, the rationale style, and the difficulty before you sign up.
A patient is scheduled for an upper GI series. Before bringing the patient into the fluoroscopy room, which of the following is the radiographer's FIRST priority?
Show answer and rationale
A, Incorrect: Order verification matters, but it follows patient identification.
B, Correct: Correct. The Joint Commission requires two-factor identification (typically name and DOB) before any procedure. Wrong-patient errors are the most common preventable adverse event in imaging.
C, Incorrect: Barium administration begins after the patient is identified and consented.
D, Incorrect: Positioning happens after identification, history-taking, and consent confirmation.
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 ARRT Radiography Patient Care category 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 lessons are in the Infection Control chapter?
This chapter contains 31 lessons across 12 sections, plus a knowledge-check quiz at the end. The full lesson content is unlocked with a Premium subscription. The free tier includes 3 complete chapters.
Is this chapter aligned with the ARRT 2025 Content Specifications?
Yes. Every chapter on this site maps directly to the ARRT Radiography Content Specifications effective 2025. This chapter falls under the Patient Care domain of the official ARRT exam blueprint.