Final answer:
The Spaulding Classification System categorizes medical instruments into critical, semicritical, and noncritical groups, with critical items requiring sterilization and others varying levels of disinfection. Correct option is 1)
Step-by-step explanation:
The Spaulding Classification System is a scheme used to categorize medical instruments and items based on the risk of infection involved in their use. In this system, items are grouped into three main categories: critical, semicritical, and noncritical. Critical items, such as surgical instruments, catheters, and intravenous fluids, must be sterile since they enter sterile areas of the body or penetrate tissues. Semicritical items, including gastrointestinal endoscopes and respiratory therapy equipment, do not penetrate tissues but may contact mucous membranes, necessitating a high level of disinfection rather than sterilization. Lastly, noncritical items like bed linens, crutches, and blood pressure cuffs, may touch but not penetrate intact skin and require cleaning but not high-level disinfection.