What is the second step in prepping a patient for surgery, according to the listed steps?

What is the second step in prepping a patient for surgery, according to the listed steps?

• A. Prep
• B. Catheter
• C. Draping
• D. Sterilization

Answer: (A)

The step being tested is skin antisepsis as part of preparing the patient for the sterile field. This second step focuses on reducing the microbial load at the incision site so the operation can proceed with a lower risk of infection. After confirming the patient, consent, and plan, applying an antiseptic solution to the skin and allowing it to dry creates a clean area around the incision before draping is done. This antiseptic prep is typically performed with an agent such as chlorhexidine or povidone-iodine, applied in outward strokes from the incision site to the surrounding skin and repeated as recommended, ensuring the area dries completely to maintain efficacy. Catheter placement is a separate intervention that may occur as needed but is not the skin-prep action itself. Sterilization refers to making instruments and the environment sterile, not the patient’s skin prep step, and draping occurs after the skin has been prepped to maintain a sterile field.

The step being tested is skin antisepsis as part of preparing the patient for the sterile field. This second step focuses on reducing the microbial load at the incision site so the operation can proceed with a lower risk of infection. After confirming the patient, consent, and plan, applying an antiseptic solution to the skin and allowing it to dry creates a clean area around the incision before draping is done. This antiseptic prep is typically performed with an agent such as chlorhexidine or povidone-iodine, applied in outward strokes from the incision site to the surrounding skin and repeated as recommended, ensuring the area dries completely to maintain efficacy.

Catheter placement is a separate intervention that may occur as needed but is not the skin-prep action itself. Sterilization refers to making instruments and the environment sterile, not the patient’s skin prep step, and draping occurs after the skin has been prepped to maintain a sterile field.