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Thinking About the Procedure Questions and Suggested
Responses for Davis’s Nursing Skills Videos – Promoting Asepsis
and Preventing Infection
Davis’s Nursing Skills Video: Hand Hygiene: Using Soap and Water
1. How does the nurse in the video clean her fingernails?
Suggested Response:
With a disposable pick.
2. Does the nurse in the video turn off the faucet with a paper towel? What is the reason for what she
does?
Suggested Response:
Yes, she does. Using a paper towel to turn off the faucet prevents contamination of hands from the
faucet.
Davis’s Nursing Skills Video: Hand Hygiene: Using Alcohol-Based Handrubs
1. Prior to using alcohol-based handrub to disinfect her hands, what is the first thing the nurse does in
the video?
Suggested Response:
The nurse pushes her sleeves all the way up her forearm, well past her wrists. Then she removes her
wristwatch; jewelry and watches could harbor microbes and lead to contamination.
2. How does the nurse in the video cleanse her hands using the alcohol-based handrub? What is the
reason for what she does?
Suggested Response:
The nurse applies a generous amount of handrub; she grasps each finger using a twisting motion to
most effectively cleanse her hands.
Davis’s Nursing Skills Video: Donning Personal Protective Equipment
1. When donning PPE, what does the nurse do that indicates that she thinks splashing may occur during
her care of the patient?
Suggested Response:
The nurse dons a face shield.
Davis’s Nursing Skills Video: Removing Personal Protective Equipment
1. When removing her gloves, how does the nurse in the video protect her hands from contamination?
Suggested Response:
When removing the first glove, she grasps only the outside of it and turns it inside out as she pulls it
off. She holds the removed glove in the soiled-glove hand and slips her bare fingers under the cuff,
touching only the inside, uncontaminated surface of the second glove. She then pulls the second glove
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off, turning it inside out over the first glove, so that she touches only uncontaminated surfaces with
her bare hands as she discards the gloves.
Davis’s Nursing Skills Video: Surgical Handwashing: Brushless System
1. The nurse in the video does not dry her hands with paper towel before she leaves the sink area. Why?
Suggested Response:
The paper towels are not sterile. Therefore, touching the paper towels after the scrub would
contaminate her hands.
2. How did she dry her hands to keep them surgically clean?
Suggested Response:
She used a sterile towel, leaning forward slightly to avoid contamination with her clothing. She uses a
dabbing motion to towel dry: one end for one hand and arm and the other end for the other hand and
arm.
Davis’s Nursing Skills Video: Sterile Gown and Gloves (Closed Method)
1. In the early part of the procedure, a nurse is touching the inside of the surgical nurse’s gown in the
back. Is this an error? Why or why not?
Suggested Response:
It is not an error, because the nurse assisting the surgical nurse closes the gown in the back by pulling
the gown by the inside and then tying it behind the neck. This is a good technique because she does
not touch the sterile side of the gown.
2. In this demonstration, does the nurse point the fingers of the first sterile glove toward her or away?
Why would she don the gloves this way?
Suggested Response:
The nurse points the fingers of the sterile glove toward her because this is the easiest way to grab the
cuff of the glove and in one motion flip the glove onto her hand and then stretch the glove over the
gown cuff into a snug fit. Sometimes when gloves are tight fitting, they can be difficult to don
otherwise.
Davis’s Nursing Skills Video: Sterile Gloves (Open Method)
1. At the beginning of the procedure, the nurse opens the outer glove package and turns the package out
on a table top. Does this break sterile technique? Why or why not?
Suggested Response:
No, it does not break sterile technique. Only the outside surface of the outer wrapper will be in contact
with the unsterile (but clean) table top. The inner surface of the outer wrapper is sterile and will
provide a barrier between the sterile gloves and the unsterile table top.
2. In this video, how does the nurse adjust the gloves so they fit without excess wrinkles or sagging?
Suggested Response:
After donning the gloves, with both hands then sterile, she grasps each finger and then the thumb on
each hand and smooths the gloves using a downward motion.
Davis’s Nursing Skills Video: Setting Up a Sterile Field – Sterile Packaged Equipment
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1. In this video, how does the nurse ensure package sterility?
Suggested Response:
She inspects the packaging to make sure it is intact and the expiration dates have not passed.
2. When opening the sterile package, the nurse opens which flap first? Why is this done?
Suggested Response:
The nurse opens the flap away from her first. This is done to prevent an unsterile arm passing
over the sterile items.
Davis’s Nursing Skills Video: Setting Up a Sterile Field – Sterile Fabric- or Paper-Wrapped
Sterile Package
1. In this video, what is the nurse inspecting to confirm the package was sterilized?
Suggested Response:
The nurse checks the chemical indicator strip.
2. The nurse pulls the final flap in which direction?
Suggested Response:
The final flap is pulled toward the nurse creating the sterile field.
Davis’s Nursing Skills Video: Setting Up a Sterile Field – Sterile Drape
1. Describe the steps the nurse follows to open the sterile drape outer package in this video.
Suggested Response:
After placing the package on a clean, dry surface, the nurse holds the edge of the package flap down
toward the table and peels the top edge of the package back.
2. What measures does the nurse take to keep the drape sterile?
Suggested Response:
She picks up the drape by the corner, opening away from her body or any unsterile surface. While
avoiding fanning the drape she places the opened drape on a clean dry surface.
Davis’s Nursing Skills Video: Adding Supplies to a Sterile Field – Sterile Packaged Equipment
1. In this video, what special steps does the nurse demonstrate to open the sterile package?
Suggested Response:
She holds the sterile package in her dominate hand. She then peels each corner of the package back
with her non-dominate hand.
2. The nurse demonstrates three additional measures to ensure the field and contents remain sterile.
Describe these measures.
Suggested Response:
The nurse holds the package contents several inches above the field, allows supplies to drop onto the
field inside the 1-inch border of the sterile field and does not let her arms pass over the sterile field.
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Davis’s Nursing Skills Video: Adding Supplies to a Sterile Field – Fabric- or Paper-Wrapped
Sterile Package
1. When does the nurse put on her sterile gloves when setting up a sterile field?
Suggested Response:
She adds all supplies to the sterile field before donning gloves to prevent their contamination.
Davis’s Nursing Skills Video: Adding Supplies to a Sterile Field – Sterile Drape
1. In this video, where does the nurse drop all sterile equipment?
Suggested Response:
She drops all sterile equipment onto the sterile field inside the 1-inch border.
Davis’s Nursing Skills Video: Adding Sterile Solutions to a Sterile Field – Sterile Packaged
Equipment
1. In this video, the nurse is looking at both sides of the sterile solution. What is she observing before
she opens and pours the solution?
Suggested Response:
She is checking the date to be sure it is not expired.
2. In the video, where does the nurse pour the sterile solution? Why does she not set the container on
the sterile field?
Suggested Response:
She pours the sterile solution into the sterile bowl inside the sterile field. The outside of the bottle is
not sterile and would contaminate the sterile field.
Davis’s Nursing Skills Video: Adding Sterile Solutions to a Sterile Field – Fabric- or PaperWrapped Sterile Package
1. What does the nurse in this video use to hold the sterile solution? Why is this necessary?
Suggested Response:
She uses a sterile bowl on the sterile field. A sterile bowl or receptacle is used for solutions when the
sterile field is fabric or at risk for soaking through.
2. What does the nurse in the video do with the cap and bottle of solution after she pours from it into the
sterile bowl?
Suggested Response:
She sets the cap and container down away from the sterile field. The cap and bottle are not sterile, so
they would contaminate the sterile field.
Davis’s Nursing Skills Video: Adding Sterile Solutions to a Sterile Field – Sterile Drape
1. In this video, how far above the sterile bowl does the nurse hold the sterile solution? Why is this
necessary?
Suggested Response:
She holds the bottle 4 to 6 inches above the bowl to prevent contaminating the sterile field.
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2. What should the nurse do with the remaining solution?
Suggested Response:
The remaining solution should be discarded.
Copyright © 2020 F.A. Davis Company