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While giving a patient an injection, the patient jumped, causing the medical assistant to get stuck on the hand with a contaminated needle. After performing thorough hand washing, which of the following should the medical assistant do first?

A. Begin infectious disease prophylaxis.
B. Complete an exposure incident report.
C. Obtain patient consent for infectious disease testing.
D. Report the incident to a supervisor.

1 Answer

7 votes

Final answer:

After a medical assistant is stuck by a contaminated needle, the first step is to report the incident to a supervisor, followed by obtaining patient consent for testing, and completing an exposure incident report.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a medical assistant gets stuck on the hand with a contaminated needle, the first action to take after performing thorough handwashing is to report the incident to a supervisor. This is essential in order to start the process of getting medical evaluation and care, and for the proper protocols to be followed, which includes an exposure incident report and assessment of the need for prophylaxis or other treatments. It is crucial to obtain patient consent for infectious disease testing to determine if the patient has any diseases that could have been transmitted through the needle stick. Completing an exposure incident report is also necessary but follows after the immediate reporting to a supervisor. The importance of following strict protocols including hand hygiene, using protective equipment, and proper disposal of waste cannot be overemphasized to prevent such incidents and the spread of infections.

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