CIC - Certification in Infection Prevention and Control Education and Research Questions and Answers

Question 1

An Infection Preventionist (IP) develops an educational program on hand hygiene for clinical staff.
To evaluate the program's impact on practice, the IP conducts pre- and post-education observations of hand hygiene compliance.
This evaluation corresponds to which level of the Kirkpatrick Model of training evaluation?

Accepted Answer

Behavior

Answer

Reaction

Answer

Learning

Answer

Results

Question 2

When designing an educational session for environmental services staff on new disinfection protocols, which adult learning principle should the IP prioritize to ensure maximum engagement and retention?

Accepted Answer

Providing opportunities for hands-on practice and problem-solving related to their daily tasks.

Answer

Presenting information through a traditional, didactic lecture format.

Answer

Focusing on the theoretical science behind the disinfectants.

Answer

Administering a comprehensive pre-test to highlight knowledge deficits.

Question 3

An IP is planning a research study to evaluate the effectiveness of a new antimicrobial-impregnated catheter in reducing catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI). Before initiating the study and enrolling patients, what is the MOST critical step the IP must complete?

Accepted Answer

Obtain approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Answer

Secure funding for the new catheters from the finance department.

Answer

Publish the study protocol in a peer-reviewed journal.

Answer

Present the proposed research to the hospital's executive leadership.

Question 4

An IP wants to compare the mean number of hand hygiene opportunities missed per hour between nurses on the day shift and the night shift. Which statistical test would be most appropriate for this analysis?

Accepted Answer

Student's t-test

Answer

Chi-square test

Answer

Analysis of variance (ANOVA)

Answer

Linear regression

Question 5

Which of the following is the BEST method for an Infection Preventionist to present monthly healthcare-associated infection (HAI) rate data to a multidisciplinary quality improvement committee to facilitate trend analysis and identify areas for intervention?

Accepted Answer

A series of run charts or control charts displaying rates over time for each HAI type.

Answer

A detailed narrative report emailed to members before the meeting.

Answer

A static table listing the raw number of infections for each unit.

Answer

A verbal summary of the overall hospital infection rate during the meeting.

Question 6

When an IP observes a staff member entering an isolation room without performing hand hygiene, the most effective educational response, according to adult learning principles, is to:

Accepted Answer

Provide immediate, non-punitive, one-on-one feedback and re-education to the staff member.

Answer

Report the lapse to the staff member's unit manager for disciplinary action.

Answer

Address the entire unit in the next staff meeting about the importance of hand hygiene.

Answer

Place a new poster about hand hygiene outside the staff breakroom.