Answer to Question 1
D
The role of the RNFA is an expansion of the traditional perioperative nursing role, and areas of responsibility will overlap. Responsibilities specific to the practice of first assisting include participating in time out procedures with other surgical team members (safety measures taken to ensure correct patient, correct procedure, correct site and side, correct patient position, and correct implants/equipment present), providing surgical exposure (assisting in retraction of tissues and suctioning of surgical field), providing hemostasis (control of bleeding), handling and/or cutting tissue, using surgical instruments/medical devices and suturing, performing wound closure, applying human anatomical and physiological considerations in practice, recognizing structure, function, and location of tissues and organs, manipulating tissues accordingly to avoid injury, and ensuring preoperative and postoperative patient management in collaboration with other health care providers. The scrub nurse gowns and gloves surgeons and assistants as they enter the operating room, provides the surgeon with instruments and supplies, disposes of soiled sponges, and accounts for sponges, needles, and instruments in the surgical field.
Answer to Question 2
C
In addition to standard precautions, use droplet precautions for patients known or suspected to have serious illnesses transmitted by large particle droplets. Examples of such illnesses include invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b disease, invasive Neisseria meningitidis disease, and other serious bacterial respiratory infections spread by droplet transmission, such as diphtheria (pharyngeal), Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and pertussis. Pertussis is spread by large particle droplets. For infection spread via airborne routes, use airborne precautions, in addition to standard precautions. Examples of such illnesses include measles, varicella, and TB. Standard precautions apply to blood, all body fluids, secretions, excretions, nonintact skin, and mucous membranes. Persons who have infections that are spread by large particle droplets, such as pertussis, need more than just standard precautions. Pertussis is not spread through direct patient contact. For patients known or suspected to have serious illnesses easily transmitted by direct patient contact, or by contact with items in the patient's environment, use contact precautions in addition to standard precautions. Examples of such illnesses include gastrointestinal, respiratory, skin, or wound infection, Clostridium difficile, Escherichia coli, Shigella, hepatitis A, rotavirus, and skin infections that are highly contagious or that may occur on dry skin.