Last Updated on August 5, 2024
HSPA [Formerly IAHCSMM] CRCST Practice Test – Chapter 20 The Role of Sterile Processing in Ancillary Department Support. You’ve come to the right place! This chapter is crucial as it covers the role of Central Service (CS) departments in supporting ancillary departments, managing patient care equipment, and ensuring effective communication and coordination. This post will provide an overview of the key concepts and practice questions to help you ace your exam.
Understanding the Role of Central Service Departments
Central Service departments play a vital role in healthcare facilities, extending support beyond the Operating Room (OR) to various ancillary departments. Their responsibilities include providing instruments, disposable supplies, and equipment and ensuring that all departments have the necessary items when needed. This can be challenging, but it is essential for maintaining high standards of patient care.
Key Responsibilities:
- Supporting Ancillary Departments: CS departments provide essential instruments and supplies to departments like the emergency room, radiology, and labor and delivery.
- Managing Patient Care Equipment: This includes the assembly, delivery, tracking, retrieval, decontamination, and storage of equipment, ensuring it is safe, functional, and ready for use.
- Communication and Coordination: Effective communication with various departments is crucial for meeting their needs and ensuring patient safety.
Strategies for Managing Patient Care Equipment
Patient care equipment must be managed efficiently to ensure it is always available, safe, and cost-effective. CS technicians ensure that equipment is clean, functional, and ready for immediate use. This involves routine maintenance and prompt repair of any malfunctioning equipment.
Key Practices:
- Preventative Maintenance: Regularly scheduled maintenance to detect and correct potential failures before they occur.
- Equipment Repair: Prompt repair of damaged or malfunctioning equipment performed by trained biomedical technicians.
- Cleaning and Handling: Following manufacturer’s instructions and infection prevention protocols for cleaning and handling equipment.
Acquiring New and Additional Equipment
Healthcare facilities often need to procure new or additional equipment due to technological advancements or increased patient volume. Several methods for acquiring equipment exist, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.
Methods of Acquisition:
- Purchasing: The healthcare facility owns the equipment after purchase.
- Leasing: Equipment is used for a specific period, with the option to return or purchase at the end of the lease.
- Renting: Typically a short-term solution to meet immediate needs.
- Manufacturer Loans: Equipment is provided temporarily as part of an agreement to use the manufacturer’s disposable products.
Practice Questions for Chapter 20
- Here are some sample questions to help you prepare for the CRCST exam:
Which department is the largest customer of the Central Service (CS) department?
-
- (A) Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
- (B) Emergency Department (ED)
- (C) Operating Room (OR)
- (D) Radiology Department
Answer: (C) Operating Room (OR)
What is one of the key roles of the CS department in healthcare facilities?
-
- (A) Providing nutritional services
- (B) Managing patient care equipment
- (C) Conducting patient diagnostic tests
- (D) Administering medications
Answer: (B) Managing patient care equipment
What should be ensured about patient care equipment before it is used?
-
- (A) It is aesthetically pleasing
- (B) It is brand new
- (C) It is safe, functional, and free from soil and contaminants
- (D) It is cost-effective
Answer: (C) It is safe, functional, and free from soil and contaminants
What is the purpose of a foot pump in patient care?
-
- (A) To administer intravenous fluids
- (B) To stimulate blood circulation in bedridden patients
- (C) To monitor heart rate
- (D) To measure blood pressure
- Answer: (B) To stimulate blood circulation in bedridden patients
What should CS technicians NOT attempt to do unless specifically trained and approved?
-
- (A) Sterilize surgical instruments
- (B) Perform equipment testing and maintenance
- (C) Manage Inventory
- (D) Deliver patient care equipment
Answer: (B) Perform equipment testing and maintenance
What is the risk associated with improperly cleaned patient care equipment?
-
- (A) It may malfunction
- (B) It may cause delays in treatment
- (C) It poses an infection threat to patients and healthcare workers
- (D) It may be more costly to replace
- Answer: (C) It poses an infection threat to patients and healthcare workers
Which device provides nutrition to patients who cannot ingest food?
-
- (A) Suction pump
- (B) Breast pump
- (C) Feeding pump
- (D) Sequential compression device (SCD)
Answer: (C) Feeding pump
What information should be recorded and maintained for each piece of patient care equipment according to The Joint Commission (TJC) requirements?
-
- (A) Equipment color and size
- (B) Equipment location and ownership status
- (C) Equipment usage frequency
- (D) Equipment manufacturer contact
Answer: (B) Equipment location and ownership status
What is the definition of preventative maintenance (PM) for healthcare equipment?
-
- (A) Repairing equipment only when it breaks down
- (B) Regularly cleaning equipment
- (C) Service provided to maintain proper operating conditions through planned inspection and correction of failures before they occur
- (D) Testing new equipment upon arrival
Answer: (C) Service provided to maintain proper operating conditions through planned inspection and correction of failures before they occur
What should be done with patient care equipment that appears to need repair?
-
- (A) Cleaned and returned to service immediately
- (B) Tagged for repair and routed to the biomedical department
- (C) Stored until the next preventative maintenance check
- (D) Disassembled by the CS technicians
Answer: (B) Tagged for repair and routed to the biomedical department
According to the Safe Medical Devices Act of 1990, what must be done if a medical device contributes to patient injury, illness, or death?
-
- (A) The device should be disposed of immediately
- (B) The device must be reported to the manufacturer and the FDA
- (C) The device should be repaired and reused
- (D) The device should be ignored if it is a minor issue
Answer: (B) The device must be reported to the manufacturer and the FDA
What should CS technicians do with soiled patient care equipment upon retrieval?
-
- (A) Assume it is clean and ready for use
- (B) Consider it contaminated and transport it according to soiled item transport guidelines
- (C) Store it with clean equipment
- (D) Leave it in the user unit until further notice
Answer: (B) Consider it contaminated and transport it according to soiled item transport guidelines
How should CS technicians handle new patient care equipment brought into the facility?
-
- (A) Start using it immediately without further checks
- (B) Receive and follow written instructions for cleaning and handling
- (C) Perform random checks when necessary
- (D) Allow the biomedical department to manage it entirely
Answer: (B) Receive and follow written instructions for cleaning and handling
Why is it important to track patient care equipment in healthcare facilities?
-
- (A) To reduce the number of equipment types used
- (B) To provide information about the equipment’s current location and usage trends
- (C) To eliminate the need for biomedical department involvement
- (D) To simplify the process of purchasing new equipment
Answer: (B) To provide information about the equipment’s current location and usage trends
What are the possible methods for procuring new patient care equipment in a healthcare facility?
-
- (A) Purchasing, leasing, renting, and manufacturer loans
- (B) Only purchasing and renting
- (C) Leasing and borrowing from other facilities
- (D) Renting and receiving donations
Answer: (A) Purchasing, leasing, renting, and manufacturing loans
What is the advantage of leasing equipment for a healthcare facility?
-
- (A) Ownership of the equipment
- (B) Short-term use for immediate needs
- (C) Ability to return the equipment and acquire newer technology at the end of the contract
- (D) No need for budgeting
Answer: (C) Ability to return the equipment and acquire newer technology at the end of the contract
How does equipment rental differ from leasing in healthcare facilities?
-
- (A) Rental contracts are typically longer than leasing contracts
- (B) Rental contracts are usually for a short term, such as a single day
- (C) Rental does not involve a contract
- (D) Leasing does not allow for equipment returns
Answer: (B) Rental contracts are usually for a short term, such as a single day
What should be done with patient care equipment that appears to need repair?
-
- (A) Cleaned and returned to service immediately
- (B) Tagged for repair and routed to the biomedical department
- (C) Stored until the following preventative maintenance check
- (D) Disassembled by the CS technicians
Answer: (B) Tagged for repair and routed to the biomedical department
What is the definition of preventative maintenance (PM) in healthcare equipment management?
-
- (A) Repairing equipment only when it breaks down
- (B) Regularly cleaning equipment
- (C) Service provided to maintain proper operating conditions through planned inspection and correction of failures before they occur
- (D) Testing new equipment upon arrival
Answer: (C) Service provided to maintain proper operating conditions through planned inspection and correction of failures before they occur
How should CS technicians handle new patient care equipment brought into the facility?
-
- (A) Start using it immediately without further checks
- (B) Receive and follow written instructions for cleaning and handling
- (C) Perform random checks when necessary
- (D) Allow the biomedical department to manage it entirely
Answer: (B) Receive and follow written instructions for cleaning and handling
What type of area within a healthcare facility conducts invasive and minimally invasive procedures requiring instruments, supplies, and equipment?
-
- (A) Operating Room (OR)
- (B) Procedure area
- (C) Emergency Department (ED)
- (D) Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Answer: (B) Procedure area
What is one of the critical responsibilities of CS technicians regarding new equipment?
-
- (A) Designing the equipment
- (B) Receiving written instructions for cleaning and handling the equipment
- (C) Determining the equipment’s cost
- (D) Selling the equipment to other departments
Answer: (B) Receiving written instructions for cleaning and handling the equipment
Which of the following best describes a manufacturer loan of equipment?
-
- (A) Equipment is given permanently to the healthcare facility
- (B) Equipment is provided temporarily as part of an agreement to use the manufacturer’s disposable products
- (C) Equipment is rented on a short-term basis
- (D) Equipment is leased for a specific period
Answer: (B) Equipment is provided temporarily as part of an agreement to use the manufacturer’s disposable products
What is an example of a procedure area where CS departments provide sterile instruments?
-
- (A) Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
- (B) Cardiac Catheterization Lab
- (C) Cafeteria
- (D) Administrative Office
Answer: (B) Cardiac Catheterization Lab
What should be done with non-functioning equipment before it is returned to the biomedical department?
-
- (A) Discarded immediately
- (B) Tagged by the user
- (C) Used until it completely fails
- (D) Sent back to the manufacturer
Answer: (B) Tagged by the user
What kind of maintenance helps identify potential problems in equipment before they occur?
-
- (A) Reactive maintenance
- (B) Predictive maintenance
- (C) Preventative maintenance (PM)
- (D) Spontaneous maintenance
Answer: (C) Preventative maintenance (PM)
What should CS technicians check for during their routine inspection process?
-
- (A) Warranty expiration dates
- (B) Damaged electrical cords, cracked equipment casings, and loose knobs and switches
- (C) Equipment color and aesthetic appearance
- (D) Manufacturer’s reputation
Answer: (B) Damaged electrical cords, cracked equipment casings, and loose knobs and switches
What should be done with equipment that poses an infection threat due to improper cleaning?
-
- (A) It should be immediately put back into service
- (B) It should be tagged and sent to the biomedical department for inspection
- (C) It should be discarded
- (D) It should be stored until further notice
Answer: (B) It should be tagged and sent to the biomedical department for inspection
What is the main goal of tracking patient care equipment?
-
- (A) To reduce the number of equipment types used
- (B) To provide information about the current location and usage trends of the equipment
- (C) To eliminate the need for biomedical department involvement
- (D) To simplify the process of purchasing new equipment
Answer: (B) To provide information about the current location and usage trends of the equipment
Why is it essential for CS departments to have proper equipment and facilities to clean devices?
-
- (A) To increase the aesthetic appeal of the equipment
- (B) To ensure proper cleaning according to manufacturer’s reprocessing instructions
- (C) To reduce the need for biomedical department involvement
- (D) To increase the equipment’s resale value
Answer: (B) To ensure proper cleaning according to manufacturer’s reprocessing instructions
See also: