Question

which of the following organizations recommends that healthcare workers not wear artificial nails or extensions when working with any patient?

multiple choice

ada

who

hipaa

cdc

osha

Explanation:

Identify the core question

The question asks which organization recommends that healthcare workers do not wear artificial nails or extensions when working with any patient.

Analyze the options

• ADA (American Dental Association) focuses primarily on dental practice standards.
• WHO (World Health Organization) provides global health guidelines, but specific national clinical practice standards for hand hygiene in the US are primarily driven by another agency.
• HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is a regulatory framework for patient data privacy and security, not clinical infection control.
• CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) publishes evidence-based guidelines for healthcare settings, including the "Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings," which explicitly recommends that healthcare workers do not wear artificial fingernails or extenders when having direct contact with patients at high risk (and broadly recommends avoiding them for all direct patient care due to bacterial colonization).
• OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) focuses on employee safety and bloodborne pathogens, but clinical hand hygiene recommendations regarding artificial nails are primarily established by the CDC.

Apply infection control concepts

Using the Infection Control Protocols knowledge point, we know that artificial nails harbor higher concentrations of pathogens (such as Gram-negative bacilli and yeasts) compared to natural nails, even after handwashing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines state that healthcare providers should not wear artificial fingernails or extenders when providing direct care to patients.

Formulate the final selection

The correct organization is the CDC.

Answer:

• ADA
• WHO
• HIPAA
• CDC (Correct answer)
• OSHA