Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) SLC Practice Exam

What is the intended outcome of using high-level disinfection methods?

1. To eliminate all pathogens including spores

2. To reduce the number of pathogens to safe levels

3. To ensure devices are safe for use on mucous membranes

4. To clean surfaces of physical debris only

The correct answer is: To ensure devices are safe for use on mucous membranes

The intended outcome of using high-level disinfection methods is indeed focused on ensuring that medical devices and instruments that come into contact with mucous membranes are safe for such use. High-level disinfection is a critical process that goes beyond simple cleaning or lower-level disinfection. It is specifically designed to eliminate a wide range of pathogens, including bacteria and viruses, ensuring that items are aseptic for procedures involving sensitive areas of the body. High-level disinfection does not aim to eliminate all pathogens, including spores, which would require a sterilization process instead. Additionally, while reducing the number of pathogens to safe levels might be a goal of intermediate or low-level disinfection, high-level disinfection takes it a step further, emphasizing the safety of devices meant for mucosal contact rather than just reducing pathogens. Lastly, cleaning surfaces of physical debris is a preliminary step that precedes disinfection and is not the primary objective of high-level disinfection itself.