The alcohol wipe used on a patient's skin before an injection is an example of which practice?

The correct answer is antisepsis because the alcohol wipe is used to reduce the number of pathogenic microorganisms on the skin before an injection, which is a direct application of an antiseptic. Antiseptics are agents that are applied to living tissues to eliminate or inhibit the growth of microorganisms and are typically not harmful to human tissues in low concentrations.

In this instance, alcohol serves to disinfect the surface of the skin, making it a critical step in preventing infection during medical procedures. This is distinct from other processes like disinfection, which usually refers to the elimination of most or all pathogens on inanimate objects, and sterilization, which involves the complete destruction of all forms of microbial life, including spores. Sanitation refers to the maintenance of health and cleanliness but does not specifically pertain to the reduction of microbe levels in a medical context. Hence, using an alcohol wipe before an injection exemplifies antisepsis effectively, ensuring that the risk of infection is minimized while protecting the integrity of human tissue.