Question

As the medical assistant, you are assisting the primary provider with suture placement. What is the most important personal protective equipment you are going to gather for yourself and the provider?

A. Sterile Gloves
B. Face Mask
C. Body Gown
D. Shoe covers

Answer 1

Sterile gloves are the most important PPE when assisting with suture placement to prevent infection by keeping the surgical area sterile.

Step-by-step explanation:

When assisting the primary provider with suture placement, the most important personal protective equipment (PPE) to gather for both yourself and the provider would be sterile gloves. Sterile gloves are essential to prevent the introduction of microbes into the patient's surgical wounds, which aligns with the goal of surgical scrubbing of reducing the normal microbiota on the skin's surface. While other types of PPE such as face masks, body gowns, and shoe covers are also significant for the general protection of medical personnel and maintaining a sterile environment, the direct contact with open wounds that occurs during suture placement particularly necessitates the use of sterile gloves.