| University | Open Polytechnic (OP) |
| Subject | STE404 Foundations of Sterilising Practice |
STE404 Foundations of Sterilising Practice Assessment 2: Blood-borne Microorganisms, Reprocessing and Tikanga Māori
| Course | STE404 Foundations of sterilising practice |
| Institution | Open Polytechnic of New Zealand (Te Pūkenga) |
| Assessment | Assessment 2 (Set A) |
| Weighting | 50% |
| Learning outcomes | LO2: apply infection prevention and control principles in sterile services, including PPE and hand hygiene. LO3: describe the chain of infection and key blood-borne microorganisms. LO4: apply cultural awareness and tikanga Māori in a sterilising setting. |
| Word count guideline | Task 1: 500 words; Task 2: 500 words |
| Submission | One file through iQualify |
The second STE404 assessment moves from PPE to the science and culture of reprocessing. Learners explain the hierarchy of microbial resistance, Spaulding’s classification and why spores demand sterilisation, then respond to a decontamination-room incident that is unsafe both for infection control and under tikanga Māori, linking tapu and noa to te Tiriti o Waitangi principles.
Task 1: Infection Control and Blood-borne Diseases
You are training a new colleague in the sterile services unit. They ask why blood-borne viruses like hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV can sometimes be destroyed with disinfection, while other microbes require sterilisation.
- (a) Describe the hierarchy of microbial resistance from least resistant (easiest to destroy) to most resistant (hardest to destroy). (10 marks)
(b) For each level, give one example of a microorganism and briefly state the type of infection it can cause (include at least one blood-borne virus in your examples). (10 marks) - Explain how Spaulding’s classification of reusable devices helps determine whether cleaning, disinfection or sterilisation is required to prevent transmission of blood-borne viruses. Include examples of critical, semi-critical and non-critical items you reprocess that could carry blood-borne viruses, and make clear how reprocessing decisions help break the chain of infection and prevent transmission of blood-borne microorganisms. (10 marks)
- (a) Describe how bacterial spores differ from viruses in structure and resistance to reprocessing methods. (10 marks)
(b) Explain why instruments contaminated with bacterial spores must always be sterilised, even though disinfection may be sufficient to inactivate most blood-borne viruses. (10 marks)
(Word count guideline 500 words; Task 1 total: 50 marks)
Task 2: Infection Control and Cultural Awareness
You are working in the decontamination area. A co-worker places contaminated instruments on the floor temporarily while moving a load between sinks. Another staff member notices and comments that this is not only unsafe for infection control, but also disrespectful in terms of tikanga Māori, because contaminated instruments (which have been in contact with human tissue) are considered tapu.
- Explain why this action (placing instruments on the floor) is unsafe from both (a) an infection control and (b) a cultural (tikanga Māori) perspective. (10 marks)
- Describe how you would respond professionally to your colleague who placed the instruments on the floor. (15 marks)
- (a) Explain how applying tikanga (tapu and noa) in your practice helps uphold one or more of the te Tiriti o Waitangi principles (partnership, participation, protection). (15 marks)
(b) Suggest one practical team-wide improvement that would reduce the risk of this situation happening again. (10 marks)
(Word count guideline 500 words; Task 2 total: 50 marks)
Marking Schedule
Each question is marked in five bands. Top-band answers give an accurate, complete resistance hierarchy in the correct order with correct terminology, a correct example and infection for every level including a blood-borne virus, and well-reasoned links between reprocessing decisions, cultural safety and practical improvements in the sterile services unit.
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For Task 1, set out the resistance hierarchy as a short table, from enveloped viruses such as HBV, HCV and HIV up to prions, with one organism and its infection on each row, then use Spaulding's critical, semi-critical and non-critical groups with items you actually reprocess. Explain spore coats and dormancy to justify sterilisation. Task 2 is marked on cultural understanding as much as on infection control: explain tapu and noa clearly, respond to your colleague respectfully, and connect your answer to partnership, participation and protection. Our assignment help service in New Zealand can guide your structure and referencing, and the STE404 Assessment 1 brief on PPE and hand hygiene covers the first part of this course. You can also look at the HLTH502 applied pathophysiology essay brief.
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