Final answer:
True, a sterile surface that contacts a nonsterile item experiences a 'break' in sterility. This can jeopardize aseptic conditions required during medical procedures to prevent sepsis and maintain safety for patients.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement is true: when a sterile surface comes into contact with a nonsterile item, this is indeed referred to as a "break" in sterility or a "break" in the sterile field. This concept is crucial in medical settings to prevent contamination and maintain aseptic conditions.
There is a hierarchy of cleanliness for medical items which is categorized into critical, semicritical, and noncritical items. Critical items require sterilization, semicritical items require high-level disinfection, and noncritical items, such as those that come into contact with but do not penetrate intact skin, need to be clean but not necessarily highly disinfected. An example of a noncritical item is a blood pressure cuff or furniture.