Certified Endoscope Reprocessor (CER) Practice Test 2025 – Your All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

Reusable cleaning brushes are essential tools in the endoscope reprocessing cycle, especially for cleaning channels and lumens. The correct practice is to clean and disinfect these brushes after every procedure. This is critical to ensure that any bioburden or contaminants that the brush may have come into contact with during the cleaning process are effectively removed, thereby preventing cross-contamination between patients.

Using brushes that are not properly cleaned and disinfected after each use poses a significant risk in maintaining the sterility of endoscopic equipment. This can lead to the transmission of pathogens and compromise patient safety. Regular cleaning and disinfection are therefore integral steps in infection control protocols.

Other frequencies for cleaning, such as daily or weekly, do not adequately address the immediate risk of contamination that can occur after each procedure. Additionally, cleaning brushes merely once per shift does not ensure that brushes that have been used at various times during the shift are adequately disinfected for subsequent uses. Thus, cleaning and disinfecting after every procedure maintains a higher standard of safety and efficacy in endoscope reprocessing.