CCHI Safety and Infection Control 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient refuses to wear a mask during transport to another department and the interpreter is asked to explain the importance of masking. Which reason is most clinically accurate to convey?
- Masks protect only the staff from patient germs
- Masking reduces the risk of spreading respiratory droplets to other patients and staff in the facility (Correct answer)
- Masks are required only in the patient's room, not during transport
- Masking is mandatory only for patients with COVID-19
Correct answer: Masking reduces the risk of spreading respiratory droplets to other patients and staff in the facility
Source control masking during transport helps prevent respiratory droplets from spreading to vulnerable patients and staff throughout the facility.
Question 2: During an interpreted session, an interpreter accidentally touches a used blood glucose monitoring lancet. What should be done first?
- Apply antiseptic cream and continue the session
- Immediately wash the wound with soap and water and report the exposure (Correct answer)
- Cover the wound with a bandage and complete the session before reporting
- Monitor for symptoms over the next 24 hours
Correct answer: Immediately wash the wound with soap and water and report the exposure
A needlestick or sharps injury requires immediate washing with soap and water, followed by reporting to occupational health for exposure evaluation and possible prophylaxis.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes the purpose of an exposure control plan in a healthcare facility?
- To outline staff vacation and scheduling policies during disease outbreaks
- To document procedures for preventing and responding to occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens (Correct answer)
- To establish visitor restrictions during infectious disease outbreaks
- To define medication protocols for treating infected patients
Correct answer: To document procedures for preventing and responding to occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens
An exposure control plan, required under OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, outlines methods to protect workers from exposure to blood and other potentially infectious materials.
Question 4: A healthcare interpreter is informed that the patient they will be interpreting for has scabies. What precautions should the interpreter expect to follow?
- Airborne precautions with N95 mask
- Contact precautions including gloves and gown (Correct answer)
- Droplet precautions with surgical mask
- Standard precautions only
Correct answer: Contact precautions including gloves and gown
Scabies is transmitted by direct skin-to-skin contact with an infested person, so Contact Precautions (gloves and gown) are required in addition to Standard Precautions.
Question 5: What does the 'chain of infection' concept help healthcare workers understand about infectious diseases?
- The legal liability chain when a patient acquires a healthcare-associated infection
- The sequence of events that must occur for an infectious disease to spread from one host to another (Correct answer)
- The chain of command for reporting infectious disease outbreaks
- The medication sequence used to treat resistant infections
Correct answer: The sequence of events that must occur for an infectious disease to spread from one host to another
The chain of infection describes six links — infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host — that must all be present for infection to spread.
Question 6: An interpreter is asked to interpret in a room labeled 'Protective Environment.' Which patient population is most likely inside this room?
- A patient with active pulmonary tuberculosis
- An immunocompromised patient such as one who underwent a bone marrow transplant (Correct answer)
- A patient with a highly contagious viral infection
- A patient under observation for suspected meningitis
Correct answer: An immunocompromised patient such as one who underwent a bone marrow transplant
Protective Environment rooms use positive air pressure and HEPA filtration to shield severely immunocompromised patients, such as bone marrow transplant recipients, from environmental pathogens.
Question 7: When an interpreter observes a spill of bodily fluid on the floor of an exam room, what is the most appropriate immediate action?
- Clean it up personally to prevent a slip hazard
- Alert appropriate facility staff to handle the biohazardous spill according to protocol (Correct answer)
- Cover the spill with paper towels and continue interpreting
- Ask the patient to explain how the spill occurred before taking action
Correct answer: Alert appropriate facility staff to handle the biohazardous spill according to protocol
Interpreters should immediately notify appropriate facility staff (housekeeping or nursing), as biohazardous spill cleanup requires trained personnel with proper PPE and disinfectants.
CCHI Safety and Infection Control 5
A patient refuses to wear a mask during transport to another department and the interpreter is asked to explain the importance of masking.
Which reason is most clinically accurate to convey?