CMLA Infection Control 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of isolation precaution is required for a patient diagnosed with active pulmonary tuberculosis?
- Contact precautions
- Droplet precautions
- Airborne precautions (Correct answer)
- Standard precautions only
Correct answer: Airborne precautions
Airborne precautions are required for TB because the pathogen is transmitted via small droplet nuclei that remain suspended in the air.
Question 2: What is the minimum alcohol concentration in an alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) that is effective against most healthcare pathogens?
- 40%
- 50%
- 60% (Correct answer)
- 80%
Correct answer: 60%
The CDC recommends ABHRs containing 60–95% alcohol to effectively kill most organisms on hands.
Question 3: A laboratory worker accidentally splashes a potentially infectious sample on their lab coat. What is the FIRST action they should take?
- Complete an incident report
- Remove the coat and wash affected skin (Correct answer)
- Notify the supervisor
- Apply an antiseptic to the coat
Correct answer: Remove the coat and wash affected skin
Removing contaminated clothing and washing exposed skin immediately limits ongoing exposure to the infectious material.
Question 4: Which organism is most commonly associated with healthcare-associated infections transmitted via contaminated hands?
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis
- Clostridium difficile
- MRSA (Correct answer)
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Correct answer: MRSA
MRSA is a leading cause of healthcare-associated infections and spreads primarily through direct contact via contaminated hands.
Question 5: What does the term 'nosocomial infection' mean?
- An infection contracted from an animal
- An infection acquired in a healthcare setting (Correct answer)
- An infection caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria
- An infection spread through contaminated water
Correct answer: An infection acquired in a healthcare setting
Nosocomial infections are those acquired during a hospital stay or other healthcare encounter, not present on admission.
Question 6: When collecting blood cultures from a patient, which skin antiseptic application technique is most appropriate?
- Apply and wipe off immediately
- Apply in a back-and-forth motion for 5 seconds
- Apply in concentric circles moving outward and allow to dry (Correct answer)
- Apply and blot dry with sterile gauze
Correct answer: Apply in concentric circles moving outward and allow to dry
Cleaning from center outward in concentric circles and allowing the antiseptic to fully dry reduces the risk of contaminating the culture.
Question 7: Which of the following BEST describes the purpose of a biological safety cabinet (BSC) in the microbiology laboratory?
- To store sterile media at controlled temperatures
- To protect personnel, samples, and the environment from aerosols (Correct answer)
- To decontaminate sharps before disposal
- To provide a clean area for chemical mixing
Correct answer: To protect personnel, samples, and the environment from aerosols
A BSC uses HEPA-filtered airflow to protect the worker, the specimen, and the surrounding environment from infectious aerosols.
CMLA Infection Control 2
Which type of isolation precaution is required for a patient diagnosed with active pulmonary tuberculosis?