You have many opportunities to break the cycle of infectious disease transmission while carrying out your duties as a medical assistant. Your own safety and the safety of both patients and colleagues depend on your knowledge and skills as you handle instruments and equipment, recognize symptoms of infectious diseases, and teach patients about the importance of immunization.

Sanitization, disinfection, and sterilization break the pathogen growth cycle by eliminating microorganisms on the surface of instruments and equipment. The steam autoclave is the most effective method for controlling infections transmitted by unsterile instruments. Familiarity with all aspects of the autoclave operation is essential, including preparing instruments for sterilization, running the load through the autoclave, removing and inspecting sterilized items, and storing supplies to ensure sterility.

In addition to recognizing the symptoms of infectious diseases, you can teach patients about symptoms of infectious diseases that are likely to affect them. Informed patients are more likely than the uninformed to seek medical aid quickly and less likely to spread illness to others. You can play a vital role in reducing patient vulnerability by encouraging patients to maintain a correct immunization status and by remaining aware of special immunization concerns for certain patients.