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Surgical Education Learners Forum/Perioperative Nursing/Count Maintenance During Surgery Quiz

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▼This page is a part of the Perioperative Nursing Curriculum by ECSACONM and SELFPlease see the Intuitive Foundation Terms of Use and do not edit without permission.

Use the quiz below to check your understanding of the material.

Instructions

Work through each question carefully to choose the best answer, and submit the quiz to view your results. After completing the quiz, read through the answer explanations to review the reasoning behind both correct and incorrect options.

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1

During surgery, an additional packet of laparotomy sponges is opened. What should occur before the sponges are used?

Place the sponges on the field and update the count later
Record the sponges after skin closure
Verify, count, and document the added sponges before use
Ask the surgeon to confirm the sponge number before use

2

Why are intraoperative counts performed at designated milestones?

To replace the need for the final count
To confirm that count integrity has been maintained before the procedure progresses
To verify instrument function during surgery
To reconcile equipment with the sterile processing department

3

Which practice best maintains count integrity throughout surgery?

Recording changes at the end of the procedure to reduce interruptions
Returning used sponges directly to general waste after use
Waiting until the next scheduled count before documenting newly opened items
Document every count change immediately and track all countable items

4

A scrub nurse discovers that a used needle has been left on the Mayo stand instead of being returned to the sharps counter. Why is this a concern?

It increases the risk of losing track of the needle
It may interfere with safe Mayo stand organization
It may delay the next sharps count
It may confuse which sharps remain active

5

During surgery, an interruption occurs while additional instruments are being opened. After the interruption, what is the safest approach if there is any uncertainty?

Continue using the instruments and update the documentation later
Resume from memory after the interruption
Wait until the final count to reconcile the additional instruments
Repeat the affected count before the instruments are used.

6

During a procedure, a scalpel blade is removed from the handle, placed into the designated sharps container, and permanently removed from the sterile field. What should the scrub nurse and circulating nurse do next?

Wait until the next scheduled intraoperative count before updating the record
Assume the blade has been discarded safely and not worry about tracking it
Verify that the blade has been removed, update the count documentation, and continue tracking remaining countable items
Record the blade only during the final count before closure

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Page data
Part of Setting Up the Operating Room - ECSACONM
Keywords surgery, health
SDG SDG03 Good health and well-being
Authors Ian-laurel
License CC-BY-SA-4.0
Organizations ECSACONM, SELF
Language English (en)
Related 0 subpages, 1 pages link here
Views 10 page views (analytics)
Created July 13, 2026 by 2600:387:C:6A1B:0:0:0:4
Last edit August 17, 2026 by 128.220.159.182
Cite as "SELF/Perioperative Nursing/Count Maintenance During Surgery Quiz". Appropedia. 2026. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
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