Which term refers to practices used to prevent the spread of infection by reducing the number of pathogens?

• A. Clean technique
• B. Medical asepsis
• C. Sterile technique
• D. Surgical asepsis

Answer: (B)

The main idea being tested is preventing infection by lowering the number of pathogens in the environment and during care. Medical asepsis focuses on reducing microbial load and interrupting transmission through practices like hand hygiene before and after patient contact, using clean barriers such as nonsterile gloves, cleaning and disinfecting surfaces, proper handling of linens and waste, and following standard precautions. It aims to keep the environment and hands reasonably free of germs to minimize infection risk, rather than striving for sterility.

Sterile technique, in contrast, aims to remove all microorganisms and maintain a completely sterile field, which is necessary for invasive procedures or surgery. Surgical asepsis is another way of describing maintaining that same level of sterility during such procedures. Clean technique is sometimes used interchangeably with medical asepsis, but the focus in this context is on reducing pathogens and preventing transmission rather than maintaining a sterile environment.

So, practices designed to prevent spread by reducing the number of pathogens are best described as medical asepsis.