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Section 1
Don personal protective equipment; follow Standard and Universal Precautions.
Preview
Preview: Perioperative Care: Preoperative Preparation
Preview includes- 4 of 10 lesson topics
- 1 overview segment
- 3 core concepts
- 2 exam tips
Lesson Topics
- Donning Personal Protective Equipment
- Assess Exposure Risk
- Select Appropriate PPE
- Proper Fit and Seal
Overview
Objective focus: Don personal protective equipment; follow Standard and Universal Precautions.
Core Concepts
- Current NBSTSA exam snapshot: 175 multiple-choice questions in 4 hours; 150 are scored and 25 are unscored pretest items. The current published passing mark is 98 correct on the 150 scored questions. Scored blueprint weighting: Perioperative Care 97 (65%), Ancillary Duties 23 (15%), Basic Science 30 (20%).
- Standard Precautions apply to every patient; PPE is selected from the anticipated task/exposure. Add mask plus eye/face protection when splash or spray to mucous membranes is reasonably anticipated.
- Transmission-Based Precautions are added for known or suspected pathogens; they do not replace Standard Precautions.
Exam Tips
- Read for the decisive clue: contamination, laterality/identity mismatch, equipment failure, allergy, label/indicator status, patient instability, or an explicit surgeon/facility instruction.
- If an answer asks you to ignore, cover, guess, improvise, relabel, force, or continue despite an unresolved safety problem, it is usually testing the wrong shortcut.
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Section 2
Review surgeon’s preference card.
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Section 3
Verify availability of surgery equipment and required accessories.
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Section 4
Utilize preoperative documentation, including consent, allergies, and laboratory results.
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Section 5
Consider patient needs, including bariatric, geriatric, pediatric, immunocompromised, and allergy-related needs.
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Section 6
Prepare the operating room environment and manage OR traffic patterns.
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Section 7
Obtain and inspect instruments and supplies needed for surgery.
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Section 8
Check packages for sterile integrity and expiration/process indicators.
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Section 9
Open sterile supplies/instruments while maintaining aseptic technique.
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Section 10
Perform basic hand hygiene and surgical hand antisepsis.
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Section 11
Maintain aseptic technique throughout the procedure and handle breaks in sterile technique.
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Section 12
Perform counts with the circulator at appropriate intervals.
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Section 13
Participate in positioning the patient and prepare the surgical site.
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Section 14
Participate in draping the patient and drape specialty equipment.
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Section 15
Anticipate procedural steps and pass instruments and supplies safely.
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Section 16
Prepare hemostatic agents and differentiate mechanical, thermal, and chemical hemostasis.
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Section 17
Irrigate, suction, and sponge the operative site as directed.
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Section 18
Verify, receive, mix, label, and monitor medications and solutions.
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Section 19
Verify with the surgeon the correct type and/or size of specialty implantable items.
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Section 20
Prepare bone and tissue grafts, including allograft, autograft, and synthetic grafts.
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Section 21
Verify, prepare, and label surgical specimens.
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Section 22
Prepare drains, catheters, and tubing for insertion; connect/activate drainage systems as directed.
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Section 23
Perform appropriate actions during an emergency and initiate preventive actions in harmful situations.
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Section 24
Prepare wound closure materials, stapling devices, dressings, and the wound site.
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Section 25
Remove drapes and other equipment from the patient after surgery.
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Section 26
Assist with postoperative cleaning of the patient before transfer.
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Section 27
Report abnormal postoperative findings promptly.
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Section 28
Report medication/solution amounts and quantitative blood loss.
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Section 29
Transfer the patient safely from operating table to stretcher.
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Section 30
Dispose of contaminated sharps and sharps containers in compliance with Standard Precautions.
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Section 31
Perform room cleanup and safe point-of-use handling/transport of contaminated instruments.
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Section 32
Create, maintain, utilize, and revise surgeon preference cards.
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Section 33
Follow proper cost-containment processes without compromising patient safety.
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Section 34
Follow hospital and national disaster-plan protocol.
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Section 35
Recognize and respond to safety/environmental hazards including fire, chemical, laser, and smoke hazards.
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Section 36
Apply basic principles of electricity and electrical safety.
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Section 37
Apply ethical and legal practices related to surgical patient care.
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Section 38
Use effective interpersonal skills, teamwork, and culturally responsive communication.
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Section 39
Serve as a preceptor and mentor to perioperative staff or students.
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Section 40
Troubleshoot equipment malfunctions.
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Section 41
Decontaminate and clean instruments and equipment.
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Section 42
Pre-clean instruments using an enzymatic cleaner according to instructions.
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Section 43
Transport contaminated instruments and equipment safely to Central Supply/decontamination.
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Section 44
Inspect, test, and assemble instruments and equipment.
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Section 45
Interpret and understand chemical and biological sterilization indicators.
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Section 46
Restock supplies/instruments and maintain equipment readiness.
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Section 47
Use appropriate medical terminology and abbreviations.
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Section 48
Demonstrate knowledge of anatomical systems as they relate to surgical procedures.
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Section 49
Demonstrate knowledge of human physiology as it relates to surgical procedures.
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Section 50
Identify abnormal anatomy, disease processes, malignancies, and traumatic injuries.
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Section 51
Identify clinically important anatomic landmarks and structures encountered during surgery.
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Section 52
Apply principles of surgical microbiology, including classification and pathogenesis of microorganisms.
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Section 53
Identify and address routes and factors that influence infectious processes.
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Section 54
Apply infection-control and aseptic principles to operative practice.
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Section 55
Recognize patient/tissue factors that influence infection and wound healing.
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Section 56
Apply infection-control procedures and Standard Precautions in operative practice.
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Section 57
Apply knowledge of perioperative drug categories, uses, actions, and interactions.
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Section 58
Identify and handle medications and solutions safely.
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Section 59
Apply weights, measures, conversions, concentrations, and dosage concepts.
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Section 60
Identify uses of perioperative solutions and hemostatic agents.
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Section 61
Maintain medication safety, including clear identity, concentration, and dosage awareness.
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