Master the Political Compass 2026 – Navigate Your World with the CPCT Challenge!

The correct answer focuses on the most effective and widely accepted method of sterilizing medical instruments to ensure that they are free from all forms of microbial life, including bacteria, viruses, and spores. Placing the instruments in an autoclave and subjecting them to steam under pressure achieves this comprehensive level of sterilization. The autoclave uses high-temperature steam, which penetrates the surfaces of the instruments and kills even the most resistant microorganisms.

Other methods listed, such as soaking in alcohol or wiping with disinfectant, are useful for disinfection but do not achieve true sterilization. Disinfectants reduce the number of germs but may leave some microorganisms viable. Rinsing in hot water lacks the necessary conditions (both temperature and pressure) to ensure that the instruments are completely sterilized, making this method inadequate as well. Therefore, utilizing an autoclave is the gold standard for sterilizing instruments following procedures that might leave them contaminated, especially in health care settings.