Which action best reduces infection risk during line access?

• A. Adhere to aseptic technique for line access, proper hub cleaning, hand hygiene, and timely removal or replacement of lines when indicated.
• B. Use clean gloves only, ignoring hand hygiene.
• C. Only clean the hub after removal of the line.
• D. Wipe the line with water before use.

Answer: (A)

Preventing infection during line access relies on strict aseptic technique at every interaction with the line. This means performing hand hygiene before touching the line or its hubs, scrubbing the access port with an appropriate antiseptic, and allowing it to dry so it's truly disinfected before you connect or disconnect anything. Using sterile or properly cleaned equipment and maintaining sterile technique during each access minimizes the chance of introducing microorganisms. Also, removing or replacing lines promptly when they’re no longer needed reduces the duration of exposure and the opportunity for infection to develop.

Choosing to rely on gloves alone ignores the need to clean hands first, so it doesn’t adequately prevent contamination. Cleaning the hub only after removal misses the critical window of exposure during use. Wiping with water isn’t a disinfectant and won’t reliably kill microbes, so it’s not effective protection.