Phlebotomy Tech Prep: CPT Coming soon

Safety and Compliance terms

100 glossary entries from the Safety and Compliance domain of the CPT test plan. Try free Safety and Compliance practice questions.

  • AEDAutomated external defibrillator: portable unit that checks the heart rhythm through chest pads and tells the rescuer…
  • AIDSAcquired immunodeficiency syndrome: late-stage HIV disease, when the immune system is badly weakened. HIV spreads…
  • airborne precautionsUsed for TB, measles or chickenpox: a negative-pressure isolation room (AIIR) and a fit-tested N95 or better…
  • airborne transmissionSpread by droplet nuclei (under about 5 micrometers) that stay suspended in air, as with tuberculosis, measles and…
  • alcohol-based hand rubHand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, rubbed over all hand surfaces until dry (about 20 to 30 seconds).
  • batteryTouching a person without consent. Drawing blood from a patient who refused, or withdrew consent, can be battery.
  • bloodborne pathogensDisease-causing germs carried in human blood, such as HBV, HCV and HIV. OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard protects…
  • breachHIPAA: PHI used, disclosed or accessed in a way the Privacy Rule forbids, putting its privacy or security at risk…
  • calibrationTesting and adjusting an instrument so its readings match the true amount of the substance measured, as often as the…
  • CAPCollege of American Pathologists: a CMS-approved accreditor whose Laboratory Accreditation Program sends peer…
  • ccCubic centimeter. Error-prone (ISMP): it can be misread as u (units). Write mL for blood and specimen volumes.
  • CDCCenters for Disease Control and Prevention: the federal public health agency whose guidelines cover isolation…
  • chain of infectionSix-step path germs follow: infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry…
  • CLIAClinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments: federal law covering any site that tests human specimens. A site running…
  • CLSIClinical and Laboratory Standards Institute: a nonprofit that writes consensus lab standards, such as GP41 for venous…
  • contact precautionsGown and gloves put on entering the room and removed before leaving, with patient-dedicated equipment such as…
  • covered entityHIPAA category that must protect PHI: health plans, health care clearinghouses, and providers (a lab, for example)…
  • CPRCardiopulmonary resuscitation: emergency care for cardiac arrest. Push hard and fast in the center of the chest…
  • CVACerebrovascular accident: the medical name for a stroke.
  • D/CError-prone abbreviation (ISMP): it can mean discharge or discontinue. Write the full word, discharge or discontinue…
  • decontaminationOSHA term: using physical or chemical means to remove, inactivate or destroy bloodborne pathogens until a surface or…
  • disinfectionKilling most pathogens on objects and surfaces, such as the drawing chair. Disinfectants are for surfaces; antiseptics…
  • DKADiabetic ketoacidosis: a high-blood-sugar emergency. Fruity breath, deep fast breathing, vomiting or drowsiness in a…
  • DNRDo not resuscitate: an order that CPR will not be attempted if cardiac arrest occurs. It does not mean "do not treat"…
  • doffingTaking off PPE: gloves, then eye protection, gown, and mask or respirator last, followed by hand hygiene.
  • donningPutting on PPE: hand hygiene, gown, mask or respirator, eye protection, then gloves over the gown cuffs.
  • droplet precautionsA mask put on when entering the room of a patient with a droplet-spread infection such as influenza or pertussis; no…
  • droplet transmissionSpread by larger respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing or talking that fall within a short distance, as with…
  • engineering controlsSafety devices that remove or isolate the hazard itself (OSHA), for example a sharps container or a needle with a…
  • exposure control planThe employer's written OSHA plan naming jobs with exposure, how the standard is carried out, and how exposure…
  • exposure incidentBlood or OPIM reaching the eye, mouth, another mucous membrane or broken skin, or entering through a needlestick or…
  • false imprisonmentHolding or restraining someone against their will with no legal right to do so.
  • fomiteAn object that carries germs from person to person, such as a shared glucose meter, tourniquet or drawing chair that…
  • four Ds of negligenceMemory aid for a negligence claim: a Duty of care, Dereliction (breach) of that duty, Direct cause of the injury, and…
  • HAIHealthcare-associated infection: an infection a patient picks up while receiving care, for example from unclean hands…
  • hand hygieneCleaning hands with alcohol-based rub or soap and water. Wash with soap and water when hands are visibly soiled, and…
  • HBVHepatitis B virus: spread by blood and body fluids and attacks the liver. OSHA has employers offer at-risk workers the…
  • HCVHepatitis C virus: a bloodborne virus that infects the liver; named with HIV and HBV in the Needlestick Safety and…
  • HIPAAHealth Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996: its Privacy and Security Rules govern how patient…
  • HIVHuman immunodeficiency virus: the bloodborne virus that causes AIDS; one of the three viruses named in the Needlestick…
  • hyper-Above normal, excessive, or beyond.
  • hyperglycemiaHigh blood glucose: thirst, dry mouth, frequent urination, blurry vision and tiredness. Report it and follow facility…
  • hypoglycemiaLow blood glucose: shaking, sweating, hunger, a pounding heart or confusion. For an alert patient, offer quick sugar…
  • incident reportInternal, confidential safety report of any unplanned event that harmed or could have harmed someone, near misses…
  • infectionInvasion and growth of disease-causing microorganisms in the body. Skin antisepsis before a puncture lowers the risk…
  • IUInternational unit. On The Joint Commission Do Not Use list: it can be misread as IV or 10. Write "International Unit"…
  • just cultureA safety culture that encourages reporting errors and near misses and fixes system causes, while still holding people…
  • leading zeroZero before a decimal point for amounts under one (0.5 mg). Omitting it (.5 mg) is on the Do Not Use list: the dose…
  • Levey-Jennings chartGraph of control results over time with lines for the mean and 1, 2 and 3 standard deviations, used to spot shifts and…
  • malpracticeNegligence by a professional: care below the accepted standard of the profession that injures the patient.
  • mandated reporterSomeone required by state law to tell authorities when they suspect a child, an elder or another vulnerable person is…
  • medical asepsisClean technique: hand hygiene, gloves and cleaning of equipment and surfaces that lower germ counts and limit their…
  • MIMyocardial infarction (heart attack): heart muscle damaged by blocked blood flow. Suspected heart attack during a…
  • minimum necessaryHIPAA rule to use or share only the least PHI needed for a task. It does not apply to disclosures to a treating…
  • MRSAMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: staph bacteria resistant to many antibiotics; they spread by contact, so…
  • N95 respiratorA tight-fitting NIOSH-approved respirator that filters small airborne particles. It needs a fit test before first use…
  • needleless systemA device that collects fluids after access is established, or gives fluids, without using a needle (OSHA).
  • needlestick injurySkin puncture by a used needle. Wash with soap and water, report at once, and get a prompt medical evaluation.
  • Needlestick Safety and Prevention ActFederal law signed November 6, 2000, that amended OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard: safer devices, a sharps injury…
  • negligenceHarm caused by failing to act with the care a reasonable person in the same role would use. A claim requires duty…
  • NIOSHNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health: researches workplace hazards and certifies respirators; it does…
  • Notice of Privacy PracticesDocument a covered entity must give patients describing how their PHI may be used and shared and the privacy rights…
  • occupational exposureReasonably expected contact with blood or OPIM through the skin, eyes, mucous membranes or punctures as part of one's…
  • OPIMOther potentially infectious materials: fluids such as semen, CSF and any visibly bloody fluid, plus unfixed human…
  • OSHAOccupational Safety and Health Administration: part of the U.S. Department of Labor; it writes and enforces job safety…
  • pathogenAny disease-causing microorganism, such as the bloodborne viruses HBV, HCV and HIV.
  • PEPPost-exposure prophylaxis: medicine started after an exposure; for possible HIV it should begin as soon as possible…
  • PHIProtected health information: health information that identifies a patient, in any form (spoken, paper or electronic)…
  • portal of entryHow a pathogen gets into a new host, for example through a needlestick, broken skin or a mucous membrane.
  • portal of exitHow a pathogen leaves its reservoir, for example in blood from a puncture site or in droplets from a cough.
  • PPEPersonal protective equipment: gloves, gowns, masks, respirators and eye or face protection worn against blood and…
  • proficiency testingOutside testing of unknown samples to check a lab's accuracy; CLIA does not require it for waived tests, but it is…
  • QD, QODDaily (QD) and every other day (QOD). On The Joint Commission Do Not Use list: misread as each other or as QID. Write…
  • quality controlTesting control samples with known values to prove a test system works. When controls fail, patient results are held.
  • reference rangeThe values expected for a test in healthy people, set by each laboratory for its own method; results are compared only…
  • regulated wasteOSHA term for liquid blood or OPIM, items that would release blood if squeezed or are caked with it, and used sharps…
  • reservoirThe home where a germ survives and multiplies, for example an infected patient, a carrier or contaminated equipment.
  • respondeat superior"Let the master answer": an employer is liable for an employee's negligence within the scope of the job, such as a…
  • scope of practiceThe tasks a worker is trained and allowed to do. Phlebotomists collect and handle specimens; they do not interpret…
  • SDSSafety data sheet: the 16-section document kept for each hazardous chemical; section 8 lists the protective equipment…
  • seizureA burst of abnormal brain activity causing jerking, stiffening or lost awareness. Stop the draw, protect from injury…
  • SESIPSharp with engineered sharps injury protection: OSHA term for a needle or other sharp with a built-in feature that…
  • sharpsItems that can pierce or cut skin: needles, lancets, broken glass. Discard used ones immediately in a sharps container.
  • sharps containerClosable, puncture-resistant, leakproof container with a biohazard label for used sharps, kept upright within reach…
  • sharps injury logConfidential OSHA log of each contaminated sharps injury: device type and brand, where it happened and how, without…
  • shockDangerously low blood flow to the organs. Call for help; if no injury prevents it, lay the person flat with legs…
  • standard precautionsInfection control used for every patient: treat blood and all body fluids except sweat as infectious, with hand…
  • strokeBrain injury from a blocked or bleeding brain vessel. Sudden face drooping, arm weakness or slurred speech means…
  • surgical asepsisSterile technique that keeps items completely free of microorganisms. In phlebotomy: never touch the needle shaft…
  • susceptible hostA person who can become infected, such as a patient with weak immunity or a worker who is not immune.
  • TBTuberculosis: a bacterial infection, mainly of the lungs, spread through the air; it calls for airborne precautions…
  • temperature logRecord of refrigerator, freezer or room temperatures for stored supplies and specimens; never guess a missed reading…
  • TJCThe Joint Commission: accredits health care organizations; its goals require two patient identifiers and labeling…
  • trailing zeroZero after a decimal point (5.0 mg). Do Not Use list: in medication orders 5.0 can be read as 50; write 5 mg. Lab…
  • transmission-based precautionsContact, droplet or airborne measures added on top of standard precautions when a patient has, or may have, an…
  • UUnit. On The Joint Commission Do Not Use list: it can be misread as 0, 4 or cc. Write "unit".
  • universal precautionsOSHA approach: handle all human blood and certain body fluids as though they contain HBV, HIV or other bloodborne…
  • VREVancomycin-resistant Enterococcus: gut bacteria no longer killed by vancomycin; patients carrying them are cared for…
  • waived testCLIA category for tests cleared for home use, simple and accurate enough that errors are unlikely, or harmless if done…
  • work practice controlsSafer ways of doing a task that cut exposure risk, for example never recapping a used needle with both hands.