What is surgical asepsis?

• A. The practices used to maintain a sterile environment during procedures.
• B. Cleaning surfaces with disinfectants after patient contact.
• C. Wearing gloves during patient transport.
• D. Hand hygiene only in outpatient settings.

Answer: (A)

Surgical asepsis means keeping the area where a procedure is done completely free of all microorganisms to prevent infection. It involves creating and maintaining a sterile field, using sterilized instruments, and donning sterile gloves and gowns so anything within that field remains sterile throughout the procedure. This approach is specifically about eliminating microbes in the procedural area, not just reducing them.

The other options relate to general infection control rather than maintaining a sterile field: cleaning surfaces after patient contact is part of medical asepsis, not surgical asepsis; wearing gloves during patient transport is a protective measure but does not ensure a sterile environment for procedures; and hand hygiene is essential everywhere, not limited to outpatient settings.