Test Flashcards

Which type of isolation precaution is required for a patient with confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis?

Answer: Airborne precautions

Pulmonary tuberculosis is transmitted via airborne particles and requires airborne precautions including a negative-pressure room and N95 respirator.

An infection preventionist is reviewing surgical site infection (SSI) rates. Which denominator is most appropriate for calculating SSI rates?

Answer: Number of surgical procedures performed

SSI rates are expressed per number of surgical procedures because each procedure represents one opportunity for infection.

Which disinfectant level is required to reprocess a semicritical medical device?

Answer: High-level disinfection

Semicritical items that contact mucous membranes require high-level disinfection to eliminate all microorganisms except bacterial spores.

A cluster of Clostridium difficile infections is identified on a medical-surgical unit. Which environmental cleaning agent is most appropriate?

Answer: EPA-registered sporicidal disinfectant (e.g., sodium hypochlorite)

C. difficile spores are resistant to most disinfectants and require EPA-registered sporicidal agents such as diluted bleach for effective environmental decontamination.

Which metric best describes the proportion of a population that has a disease at a specific point in time?

Answer: Point prevalence

Point prevalence measures the proportion of a population with a disease at one specific moment in time.

Hand hygiene compliance monitoring reveals a 45% compliance rate among nursing staff. Which strategy has the strongest evidence for improving compliance?

Answer: Multimodal improvement programs including education, reminders, and performance feedback

The WHO and CDC recommend multimodal strategies combining education, system change, reminders, and performance feedback as the most evidence-based approach.

A patient on contact precautions for MRSA is being transported to radiology. Which action is most appropriate?

Answer: Notify receiving department and cover wounds or drainage sites before transport

Notifying the receiving department and covering wounds or draining sites minimizes environmental contamination during transport of contact-precaution patients.