PTA Physical Therapy Assistant

Answer: D - Sweat is considered as non-critical according to standard precautions.

Standard precautions are designed to protect the health care professional against blood, bodily fluids, and excretions (except sweat), regardless of whether they contain blood, non-intact skin, mucous membranes, or saliva.

Standard precaution is the expanded new term for Universal precaution. Universal precaution was based on the concept that all blood and body fluids that might be contaminated with blood should be treated as infectious because patients with blood borne infections can be asymptomatic or unaware they are infected. For a clinical dental practice, no operational difference exists between universal precautions and standard precautions.